I thought I'd clear up some marketing misconceptions in this two-part series: What Marketing Can Do for You and What Marketing Can't Do for You. The problem is about what the market can't do. While there is no doubt that a strong marketing strategy can increase your business, it cannot solve everything. Here are five things marketing can't do for you:
1. Marketing cannot make you successful overnight. Just because you start a marketing program doesn't mean you'll see your business explode right away. Marketing is about always getting your name out of your target market until they finally decide to give you a try. On that note, if you're struggling right now - sales are down, new business isn't taking off the way you planned - depending on the number of problems, a business program may not be enough to save you. A successful marketing program requires time to work and, more likely than not, some money. If you are worried about one (or more than two), you can start looking at other options.
2. Marketing is not a do it once and forget it. Best seller test. And try. And try. For example, your website may not be converting visitors into customers as it should. You can hire a copywriter to edit it for you. You can try different things to see what increases your conversion rate. It is an experimental method. You can also try different titles, different offers, etc.
3. Marketing can't fix a bad experience. It is great. If your customers have a bad experience with your product or service or your customer service representatives or salespeople, etc., that's it. Worse, not only do you lose the customer for good, but the customer will tell others about their bad experience. So now you've lost other potential customers. Marketing can bring people in, but it can't guarantee they'll have an experience they'll want to repeat. Before you think that third party marketing is what you need, take some time and make sure that your current customers are very happy with your business.
4. The market cannot fix a broken transaction. Like number 3, marketing cannot solve cash flow problems or staffing problems. Well, I hear you all saying "Of course marketing can't solve financial problems". Do you think we are stupid? My answer is no, I don't think you are stupid at all. I think what happens is that sometimes you get so caught up in the daily challenges of doing business that you can't see the forest for the trees. Let me explain. Let's say you have a business that is having cash flow problems. Perhaps the first thing that comes to mind is relaunching the market. After all, the idea behind business is to maximize profits. On the surface, that makes sense. However, if you look closely, you may find expenses that are not worth it or are not paid on time. So what you should be solving is your financial issues instead of changing your marketing.
5. Marketing cannot trick people into buying things they don't want or can't afford. No matter how good your product or service is, if you are selling to people who have no interest or way to buy it, your business will fail, no matter how brilliant it is. So, everything boils down to this, before you decide that you want to do more shopping, take a few moments and make sure that shopping is the right thing for your business.
Creativity Exercise - Do a reality check before starting a new marketing program, take the time to analyze what is really going on in your business. Do you need a real sales program or your problem: * You can't close the leads you have * You can't make invoices on time or track unpaid accounts * Your customers are not satisfied with the product or services * Your customers have a bad experience with technical support or something else and the system does not work * Your target customers are not suitable * You are not interested in what you do * Your business has a lot of expenses and that. Basically, I want you to make sure that marketing is really your thing before you start doing it. If you want to grow your business, you need to constantly promote your business. But if you're using marketing as a tool for another problem, you may be in trouble.
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