There are three things we regularly hear from business owners who are struggling to grow their companies:
1. We want to grow but don’t have the time or budget to dedicate to marketing.
2. We are doing some marketing but we don’t know how to measure it.
3. We are doing some marketing but we’re not sure if we’re focusing on the right things.
Companies tend to push through their intentions to grow by doing lots of “marketing stuff” – that is, trying every different marketing tactic and approach they’ve heard works.
And options really are the conundrum around marketing.
There are so many different marketing messages, channels, and tactics available in today’s over-communicated world. Knowing how to reach the right people with the right message is the key to effective, growth-oriented marketing.
Which Comes First, the Gas or the Map?
It’s helpful to see your business growth as a journey. And, as with any road trip, you can put gas in the car, but if you put your foot on the accelerator and don’t know where you are going, you’ll inevitably reach a destination you hadn’t intended. Not only that, if you don’t have a destination in mind, you can’t even begin to know what to budget for the gas.
Imagine speeding down the road without your phone’s map app and going off on dirt roads, hitting construction, or getting dead-ended with a big roadblock. This approach gets you nowhere (frustrated and out of gas) fast. The same is true in marketing.
Some companies find themselves in the trap of trying one tactic for a month, not “feeling” like they’ve gotten enough traction, and abandoning it to try another idea. This “throwing stuff on the wall to see if it sticks” approach feels faster than doing the hard work of devising a well thought out strategy up front, but leaves your budget and your energy spent, with no answers in terms of what went wrong or what to do next.
The answer is: First the Map, then the Gas!
Planning Yields Amazing Results
Anything worthwhile requires planning. Say you are planning the trip of a lifetime. The easiest part may be deciding why you want to go (relax, learn, be active), but it takes thoughtful time and research to decide:
- What you want to explore (beach, city, mountains)
- Where you want to stay (resort, VRBO, tent)
- By what means you’re going to get there (plane, train, automobile, ship)
Since this is THE dream vacation, you want to think things through in advance so you can maximize your time and money. The same is true for your company’s growth. If you execute your marketing tactics by just “winging it,” your result is bound to disappoint.
So, who really has time to devise a thoughtful marketing plan when you’ve got a business to run?
We get it, which is why we understand that business owners want to run their businesses, not worry about the marketing. We partner with companies to provide strategic marketing expertise when they are serious about growth and want to do it the right way – maximizing time and budget.
You’re an expert at your business. We are experts at getting more business for our clients. With this single focus in mind, we have a time-tested process that is clear and proven and has launched countless companies to new levels. We’d be honored to help you plan for this amazing journey to grow your business!