Everybody Needs Marketing

Everybody needs marketing.  And if you’re completely satisfied with your business revenues, you’re also in a dangerous spot.

Everybody needs marketing.

Good Morning America

Starbucks will be open in two hours [Author's Note: this post was originally written in the middle of the night], at which time, I will reward myself with a brisk morning walk down Walton Street to purchase a crazy, outlandish, espresso-ridden drink of epic proportions; the office is getting freakier alone – I hear weird noises and think “what if some crazy dude walked in here right now…” and then freak myself out; Poe is being lazy as usual doing nothing; and surely somebody downstairs working the graveyard shift on K-Rock is probably talking about how there’s a legit ghost upstairs right now, without knowing it’s just me.  Or is it?  Not going to think about that right now.

Everybody needs marketing.

You Just Said That

It’s a simple concept but a true one.  If you read my “Marketing vs. Advertising vs. Sales” blog post (and if you didn’t, you can right here), you’ll know that a lot of businesses make the mistake of skipping the “marketing” side of things.  They skip right to having the sales guy print out flyers and just randomly hand s[tuff] out.  Not the way to do things.  That’s “buck-shot marketing” if we can call it “marketing” at all.

Marketing is coming up with a creative strategy to get the most “bang out of your buck,” to reuse the cliché once again.  Give me one place that doesn’t need or use it.  One!  And I’ll give you a prize.  I really will.  I’ll think up something and have the company mail it to you.

Imagine you were given all the money you needed to start your dream business.  A store.  Let’s just pretend it’s a store.  You design it, build it, make it cool, stock it up – the works.  But – you’re not allowed to do any marketing what-so-ever!  Let me tell you: your customers that year will be exponentially less than the ones you get the year they “let you do marketing” (in the hypothetical vein here).  Most businesses don’t turn a profit for a few years, half of businesses fail within the first five years, but the “no-marketing” one would definitely just limp along.

Okay, point made.

It’s Funny That You Mention That

And now it’s time to dig deep.  You’re sitting there and if you’re our target, you’re exactly who we want to be reading this (naturally) and feeling uncomfortable right now.  How’s your marketing going?  Are you even doing any marketing?  How are your profits?  We all know it’s been a hard time economically, but as one of my favorite clients says, “When you’re doing poorly, you have to put more money into marketing.”  Gosh, I wish I could clone that guy!  That’s the spirit!  If the fire is dying, don’t take out wood; put more in – correctly.

So what if you’re not doing it right?  We can help.  We offer free marketing consultations with our executive team to anybody who needs them.  Hey, secret be told – we want your business!  And our business isn’t taking money away from you; it’s helping you make more!

“How do you like them apples?” – Matt Damon, Good Will Hunting

I think that’s a great way to end it.  Great movie – so overly underrated.  Next blog post, coming right up…