Marketing is the lifeblood of any business -- none knows this better than a small business owner like you. When you started your small enterprise, you did a lot of it. You spared no effort to check the industry, match competition, and find the right pricing. You advertised wherever possible, sent press releases, exhibited at trade shows . . . did everything to set your sales on fire. And finally, your firm got past a lucrative revenue target.
Here after this point a surprising thing happens with many small businesses. They get busy with selling, but start ignoring all other aspects of marketing, and as a result, gradually over time their marketing becomes dull, boring and irrelevant. This is a big mistake, and unfortunately a common one among small and medium enterprises. Only a handful of small firms make a constant effort to keep their marketing fresh and alive.
When you started your business, you did focus so much on marketing because it was a matter of survival. Now you have come a long way, now you have a strong customer base and a strong brand, so why do you need to bother much about marketing? I'll tell you why -- it's because marketing shouldn't be viewed as a matter of survival. Neither marketing is something you need to take care of only when something goes wrong with your business. Marketing needs regular and sustained nourishment.
Taking customers for granted is a big mistake. Also, today you may have a lot of happy customers, but this is not the end of the journey. This is the beginning. At every step you take from this point on, marketing will be your constant companion. Ongoing marketing not only secures your company's future but also helps you shape and synchronize your existing customers' perception about who you are and what you do while your company is constantly improving.
Marketing is not something you start today and forget tomorrow, but a continuous process. As long as your business exists, you have to evaluate your target customers, adjust your messages, and refresh your marketing accordingly. In the world of business, it's dangerous to think that you have achieved 'just enough'. Successful companies never stop marketing -- they plant seeds now to reap harvest next season. |
