Marketing articles, insights and publications from leading experts.
by Leon Edwards
Managing Director
The Marketing Helpdesk
Why a little marketing knowledge is a dangerous thing.
As a small business owner, you’re likely to be on the look out for new business in the next few months. The chances are there are hundreds of new customers out there, waiting to be found. Just identify them, tell them about your business and hey presto!
Simple.
Well, not quite. The fact is many businesses struggle to find the customers they need to grow or, in some cases, survive – because nowadays less and less value is placed on genuine marketing expertise and knowledge. ‘Thanks’ to technology, we can all be experts in just about anything.
Personally, I blame the internet. And TV DIY programmes.
Look at it this way. A generation ago, people learnt a trade. Customers valued those skills and paid for the expertise. Now, we can read, watch and Google for the expertise we need and shortcut the whole process.
Of course, such a DIY culture leads to costly mistakes; instead of paying to get things done, we pay to put things right.
I would say that 90% of the enquiries we receive at The Marketing Helpdesk are from people who have tried everything and failed with the lot. Good for our business, you might think.
On the contrary, it’s often too late to help. Energy, enthusiasm and money are all now running low and faith in marketing has fallen through the floor.
In the real world, marketing does work and, actually, it’s just common sense. But it’s an art and science that is lethal in the wrong hands. The bravado people feel because of their acquired intelligence, plus the abundance of marketing opportunities available, sees business owners spending money on things that are never likely to work.
If you’ve had a marketing project misfire, think about why it went wrong. Were you full of confidence that it would get the phones ringing and produce more new business than you’d know what to do with? And did you base those expectations on something you read or, perhaps, what someone told you, maybe a salesman with a ready-made solution?
More to the point, did you ask a marketing specialist for recommendations, as you would a doctor to keep you healthy? Probably not.
Even if you are able to take time out to make an objective decision on what you should do with your marketing, you’re only half way there. You might pick the right tool but you still need to make it work effectively.
And that takes planning, time, energy, skill and know-how which, as far as the small business toolbox is concerned, are usually all in very short supply as day-to-day running takes priority.
Apply some resources.
Here are a few pointers to get your marketing effort on track.
First, accept that marketing takes skill and time to implement, so apply both.
Second, analyse the opportunities and talk about problems, preferably with someone who can take an objective view of your business and its goals.
Finally, don’t tell prospects about your business. Your potential customers aren’t interested in what you do, and they certainly don’t care. All they want to know is ‘what’s in it for me?’
Tell them instead how you’ll help solve their problems. The Marketing Helpdesk offers advertising, design, PR, internet marketing and consultancy to small businesses – so what?
Put differently - we help small businesses get more customers – now I’m interested!
As I said, marketing’s just common sense – when you know how!
Please call us now on 0800 043 8590 to find out how The Marketing Helpdesk can deliver the competitive advantage for your business!