So, you’re the owner of a small business. Maybe it’s something you’ve started from the ground up. Maybe it’s a family legacy. Or perhaps you’re a partner of a fast-growing venture. Whatever the scenario – the fact that you’re even reading this article is probably a good indicator that you’ve got a decision to make. The dreaded ‘investment in marketing’ decision.
Marketing. That fluffy voodoo practice that only big companies with deep pockets can afford. But yet, here you are…at that point where real scalable growth is within reach…if you just had a little help over the hump.
Sound about right?
These 10 simple questions should help you understand if it’s time to pull the trigger on hiring a true marketing professional:
- Is marketing always last on your ‘to do’ priority list?
- Are you inundated with calls about special marketing opportunities and you just don’t have the time (or understanding) to evaluate them?
- Is your first thought of marketing ‘I need a website’ or ‘I need a new logo’ when it should be ‘what do I need to do to achieve my sales goals’?
- Have you figured out exactly how you are going to achieve your sales goals? From current clients? New clients? What is the value of a new customer?
- Of the marketing tactics you are doing, do you know the ROI on any of them?
- Are your current materials effective or are your sales people embarrassed to use them?
- Has it been years since your marketing materials have been updated?
- Does your current messaging truly differentiate you in the marketplace or could you basically replace your name with a competitors’?
- Do you know how much you should truly spend on marketing?
- If top executives were asked “What do we stand for?” would you get the same answer? If your top executives don’t know, can you expect your other employees to know?
Adding a marketing discipline isn’t voodoo. It IS an investment and should be considered as such. So many small business owners tend to consider it an expense which is a mistake. A high level marketing specialist understands all of the above and can work with your team to build a legitimate actionable plan that will pay for itself over and over again until, before you know it, your company is one of those ‘big companies with deep pockets’.
