Marketing is one of the many expenses involved in running a business. For so many business owners who watch the bottom line, it seems that marketing expenses are often the first to go when financial stress hits. “I can do it myself” or “I can make do with what I have for now” becomes an easy solution. If this sounds like you, today I want to take a harder look at the importance of investing in marketing. The power of the marketing impressions you make could be what sustains your business long-term.
I don’t say this flippantly. I know that owning a business is scary. Your regular bills are relentless and it appears that there are always unexpected costs to be dealt with. But, unless you want to be in this cycle of struggle forever, you must have money coming in. That’s where marketing saves the day. Without marketing, how are you going to bring in new customers? How will you retain old customers and make them even stronger and more loyal? The income has to come from somewhere, and marketing is how you get it. By investing in marketing – time or money – you are creating avenues for more income.
Income has to come from somewhere, and #marketing is how you get it. #smallbiz #smb Share on XThink about how many distractions you have in a day….in an hour…maybe even in a minute. How much time do you spend looking at one thing before you move on to the next thing? This is not a world of complete stillness. It is a world where everyone wants your attention all the time. Well, your customers have the same distractions and competition for their attention. They are not thinking about your business all the time, not even existing customers. It is up to you to let them know or remind them that you are there.
You depend on a certain number of those distracted, busy people to pay attention to your message, to decide they need your product or service, and to buy it. How are you going to get them to stop what they are doing and focus on your offerings? You do this by sharing your message in an impactful way. To do it right, you need to be investing in marketing.
Marketing is the way you get your message out there to connect with your audience. Marketing is the way you ask them to focus on you for a second or two. Marketing is the way you remind them that they need your product or service again. It is the way you tell them that you are there to solve their problem.
When you aren’t investing your marketing, you are sending them a weak message. If you had an important pitch to give, would you show up in your pajamas? If you were applying for a job, would you crumple up your resume and toss it to the interviewer? You wouldn’t! Because you want to make a good impression so you will get the attention you deserve.
In 99% of cases, marketing is something that you will continue to have to invest in throughout the life of the business. Even the biggest companies are still doing it. But marketing is important, because it is what keeps the customers coming in and paying for your products and services.
If you are giving out business cards that require you to strike through information, if you are handing out brochures that don’t quite say what you want them to say because you still have 1000 in your office, if you feel like the website you did yourself is good enough for now, here is my question: Are you converting your leads? Because if you have to explain your marketing collateral, you are already showing your customers that you are unsure of your message. It might be the reason that they check out one of your competitors instead.
And if you are in the situation where marketing is something you are going to do “next month” or “later on,” you are actually doing a disservice to your business. By not investing in marketing at all, you perpetuate a cycle of struggle. The bills will keep coming, but eventually the customers will stop coming if you are not reaching out to them.
By not investing in #marketing at all, you perpetuate a cycle of struggle. #business #smb Share on XI will not lie to you. You will probably need to invest in marketing throughout your business. Marketing expenses will continue to be in your budget month after month. And with them, income.
Make the smart decisions you need to make for your bottom line, but never underestimate the importance of making an impression on your audience for warming leads or converting sales. A powerful impression can grab the attention of new or old leads and create a strong pipeline of customers to give you sustainable business.