How much time and effort should I put into my marketing?

I think you agree, marketing takes a lot of time and effort: it’s a pretty safe statement.

I spend a lot of time talking with business owners and entrepreneurs and one of the things I hear frequently, is that “they don’t have time” to allocate to things like budgeting for marketing, communications planning, email marketing and website content.

The challenge is that these marketing activities are important, you know it and we know it – and most importantly, your business knows when it is not getting the marketing attention it requires – because it sends you messages via “the bottom line.”

So how do you find the balance, how do you gauge the amount of budget, effort and attention to invest in your businesses marketing? Unfortunately, there are no pat answers (you knew I’d say that) and in most instances it is a balancing act to keep all of your marketing bases covered.

Sustainability is a concept I like to address when it comes to marketing activities. Sustainability addresses the idea of starting things that we know we can continue.

Many businesses (my own included) have the best of intentions when it comes to getting something like an email campaign off the ground. Intentions might get it done once – maybe – but to sustain that effort, to do it regularly every month, you have to change your behavior and how you think about that task.  As we all know, that isn’t likely to happen…

Or find a company to take the reins, who’s responsible for getting “Marketing Chores” off your plate and getting it done.

False starts. We’ve seen clients get a proposal and then after seeing the cost, decide to do it themselves – guns blazing and pound out the first thing or two and then, they get bored, distracted, other things come up and soon they’ve forgotten the marketing activities they had committed to. Wanting to get it done well and getting it done well are not the same thing.

Marketing is not a switch you can flick on and of and expect results. It must be left on to produce a benefit.

Clients tend to remember all of these things like website updates, blog content, email programs, etc. when business slows down… and by that time, they’ve missed the boat, it’s too late.  Invariably, these clients come back to us, we figure it out and from then on, we are on board and take care of it.

So, consider this: outsource your marketing to Solutions for Growth to alleviate this malady.

Here are 8 things I recommend you consider when planning how much time and attention you can spend on marketing. Before anything else happens – you must get your strategy nailed down. A clear strategy gets marketing moving in a sustainable fashion – and in the right direction – for the right reasons.

1. Have a clear reason and goal – know what you are doing, and why you’re doing it
2. Marketing is a team activity – do not carry the ball yourself; create a team
3. Do not be random – build your marketing activities into your schedule
4. Pick someone or an agency to “own” marketing tasks, such as a newsletter
5. Stick to a single topic that is relevant to your business and customers’ interests
6. Be informative, not promotional
7. Pick one call to action – ask people to do one thing: call, click, write
8. Measure effectiveness, be analytical – do not be afraid to try new things and to change what isn’t working

Yes, I know it all sounds a lot easier than it is, and to a certain degree you are right – BUT, there are things you can do, and a plan CAN be figured out and stuck to. You are not the first person to encounter these challenges.

One step to get things moving is to outsource the most time-consuming marketing work to a company like Solutions for Growth. We have the people, tools and skills to accomplish the work that needs to be done – it is the only thing we do. By teaming up with a firm like ours, you allow yourself to focus on the things that you cannot outsource: employees, sales, product, and service.

Proactive – one of the best things about partnering with Solutions for Growth is that we will bring ideas to you – we don’t wait. We want to see our clients succeed so we are always making suggestions in regards to new things, ideas, programs, tools – ways to increase business without breaking the bank – or taking even more of your time.