If you really run your business like freestyle, you will probably be on your knees...

• Shopping, eating, shopping, eating... this is the rhythm of foodies;
• Toe-to-toe kicking… is the rhythm of tap dancing;
• Freestyle…is the rhythm of variety show celebrities.

Well, before that, we need to first figure out what we are studying when we discuss the operational rhythm?

• How are the ideas and plans behind “operational actions” formed?
• How to allocate resources to complete these "operational actions"?
• How is the “operational action” perceived by users better?

The above are the three main questions that this article wants to explore.

Let’s get back to the title : Why do you say that if you operate in freestyle, you will probably fail?

Because improvisation is a very uncontrollable adventure for operations, and it is difficult to strongly link it with goals. There is no plan, no focus, no tension or relaxation...it's just, really, just playing the piano at random.

• Uncontrollable points: You cannot be sure that at a certain moment or in a certain scenario, you have enough time and resources to complete your idea; you cannot be sure that when you need type A thinking at a certain time, your accustomed type B thinking can be used in an "emergency" manner; you cannot be sure that everything will be fine if you do thing A at this time, because you may have overlooked thing B, which is also the focus of this time period.
• Difficult to link with the goal: You have a brilliant idea at point A, then you rush to it and achieve A, and then when you look back, you may find that the A you achieved may not be the focus of this stage. It is also very likely that you will become a very executive role. No matter who or which boss comes to you and gives you a point, you will work hard to do it, and then your core content may drift away.

Let’s continue with the three core questions.

key1: How to form the so-called rhythm? What determines the rhythm?

No matter how things change, the essence remains the same. All rhythms must be set to achieve the goal.

Why do various platforms create so many “festivals” and “days”? It must be to achieve a certain overall business goal, such as sales, brand awareness, etc. These highlighted and magnified “festivals” and “days” are just the high points in the operating rhythm.

Be careful not to: organize a cool-looking "festival" and then start fantasizing about how to implement the event.

And in each stage, we should review the goals frequently. What are the key goals of this period? ——Build brand awareness, promote sales conversion , expand business coverage, etc. Then, based on the goal, determine whether to influence users in each stage in a "subtle" or "silent" way, or use "concentrated exposure", " event marketing " or some other method.

Rhythm means highs and lows, main and secondary, loose and tight, and you have to control fatigue.

The line “Everyday is Valentine’s Day ” in Fish Leong’s song is very sweet and greasy, but if it is put into normal operation rhythm, users will definitely feel aesthetic fatigue. It is impossible to hold Double Eleven every day. After being excited for too long, no matter how many surprises there are, they will seem dull. In addition, resources in reality (creativity, time, funds, energy, etc.) are also limited. Don't try to get excited every day.

You still have to hold back your “ultimate move”, otherwise there will be no “surprise”. The most common approach is to combine some fixed nodes. For example, for e-commerce platforms, each category or product has its own "peak and off-season". Take the electrical appliance category as an example: in spring, the main products are dehumidifiers and dryers; in summer, the main products are air conditioners, freezers, and electric fans; in autumn, the school season, the main products are student appliances (dormitory hot pots, hair dryers, low-power desk lamps); in winter, induction cookers, heaters, etc.

It is more natural to set the rhythm according to the user scenario, and the acceptance and conversion rate will be higher. Don’t blindly “follow hot spots”, as some of them actually have little to do with your own business scope. If you insist on having an affair, it will seem a bit "awkward".

key2: How to plan and allocate resources?

Taking a single operating project as an example, I generally look at it this way:

Step 1: First, break down the operation project into several important parts or important process nodes.

This is the actual operational rhythm, which can sometimes be equal to "project management."

For example, I am working on a neural network-based customer experience management platform (9 o'clock radio station), because it needs to continuously output the capabilities of each segment to support the autonomous operation of different business lines. So for this project, it includes several links:

1. Clarify the capabilities of the module (what scenarios it can support and what problems it can solve)
2. Determine the other party’s business needs (what problem do you want to solve and when do you want to solve it)
3. Communicate access plan (whether it is supported and what main capability modules are used to support it)
4. Preparation of each business (data, products, vision, etc.)
5. Post-launch promotion (to partners, etc.)

There is a certain estimate of the time required for each link, for example, A, B, C, and D each require 2 days, and E requires 10 days. Normally, this single project will take 18 days to complete. The normal rhythm is to move forward to the next step at a constant speed.

Step 2: Determine if there are any hard nodes to be determined

If so, work backwards from that node to determine the tightness of the execution process. If not, work backwards from the expected time to achieve the result, and then look at the time cost of each necessary stage. Let’s see how to make adjustments in order to “occupy a position”.

For example, the goal is to support more than 3 projects within 1 month. Then you may have to re-evaluate whether some of the processes can be merged, streamlined, and made more efficient, or whether you must increase human resources to ensure the normal pace continues in order to achieve your goals.

key3: How do users perceive the operational rhythm?

Sometimes people call this a " promotion strategy ."

First, set the “promotion rhythm” in advance based on your business goals

Continuing with the above five links from A to E as an example, what external users can perceive is part E, so the promotion of this part may be divided into stages. For example, the entire external perception hierarchy is: online - very useful - upgraded. So the rhythm at which it should be perceived can actually be determined based on business needs.

for example:

• "Going online" has become a normal thing and is not a particularly earth-shattering event, so the information about going online only needs to be known by some strongly related people. Light investment in resources, simple announcements using templates, and lightweight support.
• "Very useful" explains the value part, which needs to be perceived strongly, widely and fully, so it requires heavy investment in promotion. This perception can be created at this stage through endorsements from opinion leaders, repeated exposure through multiple channels , repeated emphasis, etc.
• "Upgraded" may be the content that comes after a longer period of time . In the time between "upgrade" and "easy to use", perhaps we can prove that it is "easy to use" through multiple successful use cases to strengthen the cognition of the previous stage.

Second, "occupy a position" according to user scenarios

After doing all of the above, will users buy it? Not necessarily. I can only say that if you do all of the above, you will appear to be quite resourceful. However, please do not forget that all content can only be better consumed and converted if it better meets the consumption needs of the audience.

The same goes for selling things and promoting products. For example, on Taobao , big promotional events such as 618 and Double 11 are “big tests” for the entire group. So what role do the things we sell and the services we provide play in these links?

These nodes should be the "positioning battle" we have to do (what is the positioning battle? In simple terms, if this point is lost, it is basically equivalent to failure...), these scenarios are the scenarios that users are most concerned about. Only by providing good support at key nodes can we have a sense of presence in the positioning battle.

In other words, no matter what you say, it means that the user is in pain. Your existence is valuable, not just for your own pleasure. It is more natural to set the rhythm according to the user scenario, and the acceptance and conversion rate will be higher.

Third, take the hot spot, as smart as Durex , I really admire it

Within the established rhythm, leave some space for small surprises, such as tapping on a sudden and very suitable hot spot. The effect may be twice the result with half the effort.

Don’t blindly “follow hot spots”, as some of them actually have little to do with your own business scope. If you insist on having an affair, it will seem a bit "awkward". Here are some small lessons from my previous stupid mistakes. Once, a scumbag appeared on the internal network, and then everyone started to label him. I also rushed up and proudly posted a hard advertisement. It was really hard... To the point that there was no connection at all, no positive impact, it was just for exposure, and then goodbye...

The above, why don’t you try freestyle? (Hahahahaha…)