- Bob Martel
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- Bob Martel |
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Direct Marketing | Database Marketing | Copywriting | ||
| Marketing Is The 'Scout' For Your Business The lure of summer fun can often distract you from your leadership responsibilities in your company and, as they say, this is a good thing. You have to make time for things other than work, work, and more work. But the marketing of your business is a year round process, so even if you're at the beach or poolside reading this article, it's time to examine your marketing objectives for the remainder of the year. When you have your marketing programs up and running, producing the results you need, then you can phone in to the company from the beach and check on things, right? Many of the small business owners that I speak with usually know what they should be doing, some more specifically than others, when it comes to marketing activities that will lead to growth. Many others are just overwhelmed by 'marketing' and don't know where to begin. Many others have a long list of ideas that they just can't seem to implement. All of these points beg for an explanation regarding the reasons why the marketing of the business falls of the plate, or takes a low priority. I have a few recommendations for jump starting your own programs, based on consulting with people just like you: Overcome Procrastination and Make Things Happen Years ago I was going to mail my application to the Procrastinators Society, and some day I probably will. I confess, I'm somewhat of a procrastinator. I think we all are, to some extent. The only way to beat it is either get into a strict regimen and follow it, bring in outside resources, or delegate them to a key employee. What potentially high impact marketing brainstorms have you been contemplating but haven't implemented yet? Is there a better time than now to get started? Take Small Steps Everyday A past client likes to say that marketing is the scout for your business and you have to doing something everyday. "You get up, brush your teeth, do your marketing, and then go to work for the day." Break your tactical ideas down to logical steps and take some action everyday. The results will follow if you persist. At the same, focus on the strategic ideas that will lead to future business. Re-examine Your Beliefs About 'Marketing' Too many business owners hold false beliefs about marketing, based on their personal history - and often huge investments in various efforts. They have spent a fortune to discover that this program or that program just doesn't work in their industry. Hogwash. They have drawn the wrong conclusions because they failed to examine why their programs failed. My advice is to review your beliefs about newsletters, postcards, telemarketing, networking, advertising, pr, tradeshows, and what ever else you may have tried in the past. There are many factors that go into the success of each of these programs. Value Your Time and Prevent Others From Wasting It Why is it that some people can accomplish so much in one day while others can't seem to get anything completed? Discipline and focus, and putting a very high value on your time are critical. Respect the time of your customers, prospects and employees, too. It's the one resource that you can't recyle or replace. Use it wisely. Allocate one hour per day to the marketing of your business. Make decisions without delay, take action, review results, and adjust your strategy. Next time someone wants to schedule a one-hour meeting, give them 37 minutes, and ask them what outcome they expect. Avoid The Marketing 'Catch-22' "I'm too busy to do any marketing" is a phrase I hear a lot, especially in a good economy. This observation puts many in the trap of delaying marketing until a time when they desperately need to generate more sales. Don't get caught ignoring your marketing process. You need to invest in future business to avoid the 'peaks and valleys' syndrome. If you're at capacity, with a healthy backlog, maybe it's time to raise your prices and use the increased profit margin to fund more marketing activity. Avoid the 'Marketing on a Shoestring' Theory Spend your marketing budget wisely, but spend it. Test and measure your programs, and do everything possible to yield the best results. Too many business owners cut corners when it comes to marketing. Short cuts are taken either to save money, save time, or because people are just too lazy to do it the right way. There are many low cost techniques that you should employ, but low cost may also translate to slower results. But that's not to say that you have to spend a lot of money to see results. Endorsements, testimonials, and referrals are the lowest cost, highest return methods. Wrong sized ads, low quality video/audio duplication, bulk mail, computer labels, using old lists, and low quality printing are among the most common areas where people cut corners to save pennies - at the expense of decreased results. Remember, insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, and expecting different results! Examine your marketing behaviors. Have fun this summer, but think about what you should be doing differently with your marketing ideas. Bob Martel is a marketing consultant, speaker, and direct marketing copywriter. He can be reached at JMB Marketing by e-mail at bobmartel@jmbmarketing.com, or by calling (508) 481-8383. Copyright © 2005 JMB Marketing Group, All Right Reserved |
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JMB Marketing Group |
Voice (508) 481-8383 |
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