Finance types don’t “get” what marketing’s about. In fact, they usually try to put as much daylight between them and marketing types as they can.
Why? Because the bean-counting ROI nerds think that marketing’s all about abstract, intangible notions. About feelings and emotions.
Finance types don’t like that kind of thinking. As far as they’re concerned it’s heresy and anyone caught talking about such claptrap should be burned at the stake for being a witch.
Instead, finance types like measuring things. They like numbers. They think in terms of cause-and-effect. Do this, and something happens. That ‘something’ is a result of you doing the first thing – the event is interpreted as being the consequence of the initial action.
Are you with me so far? Good.
The problem with such “if / then / or” thinking is that, within a marketing environment, it doesn’t work that way. You can’t start a marketing initiative today and measure results attributed to be a direct result of that action tomorrow.
Marketing Is Like Exercise
Marketing is like dieting. Or learning to play the piano. Or exercise.
Supposing, as part of you wanting to get fit, you decide to sign-up and join a gym. You turn up on the first day and hit the treadmill for half an hour, maybe the stationary bike for another 20 mins, and then maybe lift some weights. Your exercise regimen has started. After an hour or so you go home.
How do you feel the next day? Do you feel fitter? Stronger? Healthier? Of course not. In fact you probably feel like death warmed-up.
It’s the same with marketing (not the bit about feeling like death warmed-up. But you get my point.)
Marketing’s about ‘little and often’, not sudden frantic bursts of effort followed by inactivity. If you implement a strategic and targeted marketing plan for your business today, you’re not going to rake in a gazillion Dollars / Pounds / Euros / Whatever tomorrow. Not even the the day after tomorrow.
A Little Bit Every Day
However, if you devote some time / money / resources to marketing your business a little every day, then there’s a good chance that – like regular exercise – after some time your business may be fitter, stronger and healthier.
Is that a cast-iron guarantee? No, of course not. You could visit the gym tomorrow and drop dead after 10 minutes on the treadmill. Similarly, you could be marketing your business for a year and end up in the same place that you are now.
But take a look at some successful companies out there. Whether they’re selling iPads, sneakers, fizzy sugared water or something else, they’re marketing their business value Every Single Day.
How come a computer with a fruity logo is worth double the price of one without? It’s not because of the Tweet that you read yesterday, or the TV commercial you saw last night. It’s because of the Tweets / ads / websites / articles / whatever that you’ve seen every day for the past 10 years.
So is that the secret to business success? A bit of marketing every day and you’re on your way to business heaven?
No. But you can be pretty darn sure that, without it, you’re pretty much headed to business hell.