You've finally bitten the bullet and made the decision to bring in the professionals to help your brand gain traction. Now that you've been onboarded and turned over the keys to your marketing engine, things should start moving quickly, right? You're daydreaming in dollar signs already and can swear you're hearing the sweet bell of a not-so-distant "cha ching" in the air. Before your feet start floating too far off the ground, there are some things your team needs you to understand about marketing.
There is no magic formula that will make your business a guaranteed success. The marketing world and consumer spending habits are ever changing, and the last year or so has only exacerbated things. Finding the right combination of things for your unique business takes time, and trying a lot of things that might - or might not - work. The ONLY thing that is predictable right now, is that the minute we figure out your perfect mix, SOMETHING will change and we will have to adapt our approach. Marketing must be fluid; what works today may not necessarily work tomorrow. That is why is it so important to have a team that is able to stop on a dime and shift gears. Marketing is a science, and it takes a qualified expert to acquire and interpret the data that determines the success of your campaigns. It is NOT something your 17 year old nephew can master in a weekend, we promise.
It takes TIME to start seeing results. In most cases, it takes at least 3-6 months of consistent, repetitive messaging across multiple platforms to start seeing real results from marketing, and for some products or services, even longer. Anyone who tells you any different is either blowing smoke up your arse or has unlimited funds to invest in paid advertising campaigns (aka the "adspend" that is billed separately from your marketing service). Pulling the plug before your marketing has hit the tipping point is a mistake a lot of novice business owners make. It breaks our heart to see this happen when we know had they just held on a little bit longer they would have hit pay-dirt. Successful marketing is a long-game event. If you come into it expecting a "quick fix" you're going to be sorely disappointed.
Marketing is not sales. Let me say that again, marketing is NOT sales. Your marketing team are experts at creating the graphics and messages your potential buyers will see, and knowing where to put them when and how often. Our job is to get as many eyes on your fabulous offer as humanly (or digitally) possible so your customers can find you. What we cannot do, no matter how badly we may wish to, is close the sale for you. We can bring them to your water - it is up to YOU to make them drink. In other words, we can make them notice you, we can even make them desire your product/service... but unless you open your shop, pick up your phone, provide the best quality and service for the price, and give your potential customer what they came to you to find, no purchase will take place. We do our best to get them TO your door - you are the one who ultimately has to invite them in and take their money.
NO ONE can "guarantee" a dollar amount returned on your investment. That is a variable that only you can control. What we can do is guarantee that you will have a presence in all the right places where your potential customer is most likely to find you. It is up to you to identify the irresistible offer that they simply cannot refuse, and let us go to task sharing it with the world on your behalf.
Not all social channels are created equal. Just because you're in business doesn't mean you should be on every social media channel. Marketing has VERY little to do with the platforms and EVERYTHING to do with who your buyer is and where they spend time. Just because your neighbor went viral on TikTok doesn't mean you will. A good marketing team will help you understand WHO your perfect customer is so you can be on the specific platforms they are using. If your ideal buyer isn't using Snapchat, it does you absolutely no good to have a presence there. Trust your team to understand when you need to be on Instagram even if you personally prefer to be on Facebook.
YOU ARE NOT YOUR CUSTOMER, and (we know how this will sound) your business is not about you. You have a completely different relationship with your product/service than your clients will. You know its secrets and its value in ways your customer won't. Trust me when I tell you that the reasons you think your customer will want/should buy your widget are literally NEVER the reason they do. Your marketing team are experts in being able to see your business through the eyes of the consumer you hope to sell to. TRUST US when we tell you what will work and what won't. It will save you money and disappointment in the long run!
If you happen to be a business owner who is ready to take your marketing up a notch but aren't sure you're quite ready for an agency, or maybe you're just an entrepreneur with a ton of extra time on your hands who wants to get knee deep in learning how to market your business successfully yourself, we're here for you. Our expert Marketing Coaches can help you define your perfect customer, identify the right channels to reach them, and learn how to get your messages seen and heard over the chaos of today's information highway. Whether you need a single strategy session to get you focused, or ongoing coaching while you hone your marketing skills, we're here to help.
Visit www.ScheduleWithRebekah.com and book a strategy session with me or a member of my team today.