The Seven Deadly Sins of Avoiding Marketing

It is very easy to put a toe in the water and test a one-off campaign. However, in many cases these tests fail, not because the pictures aren’t colourful enough or the snappy headline didn’t say enough about your company’s products or services, but because the strategy and/or other client contact points were not effectively considered. 

An even greater sin that businesses commonly commit is not investing in marketing at all.  There are several misconceptions that keep many organisations from maximising their marketing opportunities, stopping them from developing and implementing appropriate client retention and acquisition strategies.

The seven most common misconceptions are:

1. “We’re too small.”
Marketing and PR are not the privilege of only large companies. For example, if your business provides a specialist product or service with benefits for a niche market, then making sure you have a high profile within that target market is important. This can be achieved with some simple but strategically planned tactics such as having a regular presence in specialist professional or trade media and at industry events, or in niche consumer media.

2. “We make good products, that speaks for itself.”
Or, a professional services firm might say they are good at what they do, and that’s enough. Wrong. Technical expertise alone is not enough in these competitive times. It’s more important than ever for companies to differentiate themselves in an increasingly crowded market.  And it doesn’t matter how good your product/service is if your audience doesn’t know it exists.

3. “We haven’t got time.”
Many businesses, perhaps without realising it, already spend time unprofitably.  For example, service firms should compare the value of time spent on unprofitable work against the alternative of spending time on marketing to grow the business of profitable clients to achieve greater financial rewards.
 
4. “We don’t need it.”
Many companies devote too few resources to marketing and some none at all. Others don’t use their resources profitably. Or some businesses believe they are successful enough. Marketing is a contact sport and if you aren’t proactive, then in today’s crowded markets, customers will go to someone else.

5. “We have advertised and we didn’t get enough response to pay for the ad.”
There’s more to marketing than just throwing money at advertising.  Organisations with a long-term commitment to building their business are those that ultimately succeed.  Enlisting the expertise of a marketing professional, whose brief includes the development of a communications strategy, can prove to be a cost-effective way to get it right.  Today’s savvy marketers implement response mechanisms designed to track the effectiveness of campaigns and ensure objectives are met.

6. “It costs too much.”
There are inexpensive options available. For example, editorial media coverage gained through distribution of a press release can generate the equivalent of tens of thousands of dollars worth of advertising space with minimal outlay.

7. “We don’t understand it, so we’re better off sticking to what we know.”
In today’s competitive climate all companies are in the marketing business whether they understand it or not.  More and more companies, regardless of size and offering, are using marketing professionals to develop, implement and monitor marketing strategies.

Successful marketing is a combination of a number of strategies including pro-active attention to corporate branding, advertising, public relations, client relationship management (CRM), and below-the-line promotional activities (including direct mail, online communications and sponsorship).  Prior to commencing any campaign good marketers will set measurable objectives and evaluation methods by which the results of the campaign will be assessed.

Overcoming the fallacies as outlined above and developing a strategically planned program will help you avoid ineffective marketing and ensure you meet your business objectives.