Getting Marketing Done

Having worked in and around small business owners for over 25 years now, there are two things that most of them have in common: they are really good at what they do and they don't like 'doing' marketing. Even if they do like marketing, they often lack the training or experience to do a good job.

Most entrepreneurs understand the importance of marketing their business, but they are frustrated and overwhelmed with the complexity and often the lack of results. If you are reading this and this sounds familiar, you are in good company. You never got into business to become a marketer!

Marketing is the #1 challenge for small businesses. Without letting people know about your products or services and ultimately generating sales, nothing happens. I have owned several companies over the years, and I know from personal experience how difficult it can be to do marketing right. So why does marketing not get the attention it requires to build a successful business? Here are 5 reasons that marketing often gets neglected or is treated as an afterthought:

#1 Marketing seems overwhelming - where do I start?

There are a lot of options available to market your business these days. Some of the old ways of advertising don’t seem to work anymore, and online marketing options seem complicated and time-consuming.  How do you know where to focus your time and effort? I understand your frustration. You went into business because you have a fantastic product, and you want to share it with the world. You did not get into business to become a marketer. 

Instead of following the latest ‘Bright Shiny Object’ in marketing, it is essential to have a plan. One tool that I have used to create clarity around marketing is called the 1-page marketing plan (you can download it here 1pmp.com).

By starting to write down some necessary information about your target market and by developing a clear message to your audience, you will be in a much better position to make intelligent decisions about what media channel will work best for you. Writing things down forces you to think things through; this will give you the clarity you need. Start with baby steps first instead of feeling overwhelmed and frustrated. When you start implementing some of the steps, you will see a significant improvement in your business.

#2 I don’t have time

Another reason why marketing doesn't get done we hear often is the lack of time. Yes, the average business owner is indeed very busy running the business and delivering the service or products. There is only one of you, so instead of being the bottleneck, you hire staff to increase your capacity and grow your business.

When it comes to your marketing, you can delegate some activities (tactics) to either staff or an external contractor (e.g. marketing agency). By hiring a team that can help you to implement your marketing strategy, you will be able to focus on growing your business, knowing that your marketing will get done. If you pay someone to do a particular job, it gets done!

Other activities, such as setting the direction and coming up with a strategy, remain the responsibility of you, the business owner. This is the fun part of marketing and allows you to dream and set the course for your business.

#3 No marketing systems in place

Marketing gets often treated as an afterthought rather than an essential part of your business. When times are, and there is lots of demand for your product or service, you might be able to connect with enough customers to turn a profit. But as we have seen in recent years, once the economy slows down, not having a steady stream of new clients coming into your sales and marketing funnel will hurt your business.

You already have systems set up in your business: accounting systems, inventory systems, safety systems etc. What about setting up a marketing system that you and your staff follow to get repeatable and predictable results? This system can be as simple as checklists to make sure that your marketing efforts get consistently implemented. You know that they say ‘what gets measured gets done,’ so if you put someone in charge of sending out that monthly newsletter, this person is accountable for this.

#4 Perfectionism

Entrepreneurs are generally perfectionists, and they will not rest until something is done just 100% the way they want it. Although having the perfect marketing plan for your business is important, implementing even a portion of your plan is better than leaving it sitting in a drawer collecting dust. One of my mentors once said: “Better 80% and out of the door than 100% and sitting in a drawer”. 

Your marketing strategy should be fluid and a ‘living’ document. Things change fast around us, so your plan is always changing as well. Someone once said: “Plans are useless, but planning is everything. So don’t worry about having the ‘perfect’ strategy all the time. The fact that you are implementing parts of your marketing plan will set you apart from most of your competitors.

#5 No accountability

Being in business for yourself means that in most cases, you are free to choose where you focus your time and energy. Working on your marketing may not be your favourite thing in the world. If you have a choice between doing some ‘real’ work and planning your marketing, you probably choose the first one. This is why life and business coaching is such a growing market. Having someone that keeps you accountable will help actually to implement the plans that you made. You don’t need to hire a coach (although that may be a good option) but find someone in your company or personal circle that understands your business enough to become an accountability partner.

The results of actually implementing your marketing strategy can be enormous. Once you see the results of your efforts through metrics, your motivation and commitment to getting marketing done also increases.

When you start planning your marketing better, hiring the right staff or contractors to implement your strategy, and by building a marketing system, you will be way ahead of most of your competition. Once you see the increased sales and profits that your efforts bring you, you will be more motivated to keep going. The key to getting your marketing done is getting started!