I’ll Worry About That Later
There is no doubt that good marketing helps businesses grow. There is no doubt that a good social media presence helps businesses grow. There is no doubt that good content and search engine optimization (SEO) helps businesses grow. So why do so many businesses neglect these things? I call it “I’ll worry about that later” syndrome - and here’s what it looks like:
THE MOST COMMON: We Get Our Business Through Referrals.
Excellent! That means your current clients think highly of working with you. Why not harness the power of that by marketing your reviews, testimonials, and introductions? It’s a very easy way to build a strategy around something you’re already good at. Utilize “review marketing” and develop a LinkedIn strategy to have the clients that love you introduce you to targets in their connections.
THE MOST LIKELY: I Don’t See the ROI.
I was talking with an insurance agent recently that told me they tried “social media marketing” and got no results. I looked back at their feeds and they had posted about the weather, their pets, and how they were glad it was Friday. Is that a strategy? Absolutely, a bad one. You need to approach social media marketing from two perspectives. What does your audience want to hear/see, and how do you show them your value? The 80/20 rule still applies here, but it needs to be more literal. 80% of the time, post what your audience wants to see and interact with. 20% of the time, post from a perspective of your expertise. When should you post sales content? Pretty much never. You want to create interest. Post about a recent event and how your service could have benefited the situation. That’s how you create inbound marketing for sales.
THE MOST REALISTIC: I Don’t Want to Pay For It.
Let’s be honest, business owners rarely like spending money. But “You get what you pay for” isn’t an axiom that holds true without reason. If you don’t out time and money into marketing your business, you won’t see value. Can you succeed without it? Yes, it’s possible. Would you do better with it? Yes, 90% a good marketing strategy will increase your business. If you’re in the 10%, the marketing wasn’t the problem.
THE MOST DREADED: We’re Just Trying to Service the Business We Have.
If you don’t have a plan to service the business you have, there’s a much bigger problem at your business. You know it and I know it. If you’re not positioning yourself for growth, the opposite will happen. Can’t afford to hire the people you need? Then something is wrong with your workflow. Can’t “get anyone to work hard”? Then something is wrong with your culture. Don’t “have the time to train people”? Sounds like an operational issue to me. Should you be working on your marketing if you’re in this category? Honestly, no, and you should refer to the last sentence in the previous section.
Think you’re ready to overcome these objections and grow your business with a solid marketing strategy? Reach out to us today. Contact Daniel Smith at dsmith@marketretrievers.com or 423.503.0388.