How long until we see marketing returns?

Alright, let's get real about how long it actually takes to see results from marketing. Spoiler: it's not going to happen overnight, and anyone telling you otherwise is selling dreams. Let’s break down the marketing plan’s timeline for a typical B2B SME—especially if you're starting from scratch or have barely any marketing traction to speak of.

Tidying up your Brand (6+ months)

First off, if your business or product looks unconvincing, if it looks and sounds like everyone else in your sector, don’t even think about investing in a serious strategic marketing campaign. You’ve got to fix your brand. This means making it visually cohesive, nailing down your messaging, and having real value-led credibility. Overall, your brand needs to have distinctive, memorable impact. This isn’t something you can slap together in a weekend.

A full brand overhaul—from the logo, website, and design to how you communicate your value—takes a minimum of six months. Yes, six months, and that’s if you’re fully focused on it. Rushing this step? It’s like building a house on sand; everything that follows will fall apart.

Launching Communications (3-6 months)

So, once the brand is on point, can you start pushing out communications? Sure. But this isn’t the time to push the button and sit back, you’ll need to refine your messaging as you go. Even though you can launch some campaigns while polishing your brand, it’s still a process. You’re probably looking at another three to six months just to figure out what resonates with your audience. Messaging takes trial and error—there’s no magic formula.

When you add this step on top of the six-month brand overhaul, you're nearing a year of work before you see any significant movement. And if you’re lucky, you'll catch some small wins along the way as you tweak things.

The Market’s cycle (Your Timing Is Not Always The Market’s Timing)

Now here’s the reality check: no matter how amazing, bold and persuasive your marketing is, the market has its own rhythm. If you sell something people buy daily or weekly, great—you might see traction sooner. But if your product or service is something people buy annually, or worse, every few years (hello, B2B industrial equipment), you're at the mercy of their buying cycles.

Your killer campaign won't change the fact that someone may not be ready to buy for another six months, a year, or more. It’s like fishing: you can have the best bait in the world, but if the fish aren’t biting, you’re not catching anything. You’ve just got to be patient and keep casting your line until the market shifts in your favour.

So, Why Bother?

If this all sounds exhausting, you might be thinking, “Why even do marketing?” If you’re serious about growth—like, really scaling up and outpacing your competitors—marketing is non-negotiable. It’s the accelerator that takes you beyond slow-and-steady. Just know that it’s a long game, and you’ve got to be in it for the long haul.

Most businesses think they’re ready for marketing but don’t realise the commitment it takes. So, before diving in, ask yourself: do you really want to grow? Or are you content with where you are? Because real marketing isn’t for the faint of heart.

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