IT SEEMS THAT today everyone wants everything, right now, all the time. When it comes to marketing, the question usually is, “How long before I start to see results?” That’s a loaded question because it really depends on many factors, such as your budget and strategy. But it also requires a word seldom used these days, patience.
With the rise of digital marketing over the past decade, marketing has become quick-paced, and expectations are through the roof. If a marketing firm doesn’t “deliver” in the first 2-3 months, some businesses start to look elsewhere. The result is they start over again and, if they don’t pick the right agency, repeat the process over and over and become their own worst enemy. Instead, take the time to pick the right partner… notice I didn’t say agency, and that’s because it’s a two-way street. Retailers should be looking for the right fit, but so should agencies. That relationship trumps almost any other factor, and most certainly over price. Those who default to price have already started off on the wrong foot, especially if that relationship isn’t there. The message here is to consider who you want to partner with in full. Make sure they know your business, understand your needs and, of course, know what they’re doing. Now let’s get started.
Once you have a true partner, you need to build a plan. Not just plug-and-play paid search and social media, but a real strategy. If it was as easy as just throwing money at marketing, everybody would be selling jewelry. The truth is there are basically two types of marketing: in-market and not. Most want to focus on the in-market and while important, the “not in-market” is a much larger population and more important to long-term growth. This group requires a different approach, think “brand building”. This is to say, how does your business stay top of mind so, when they are in-market, you’re the first they think of? This requires another word seldom used these days, campaign. A marketing campaign is about long-term brand building and messaging. It’s also something true marketing agencies are great at. It seems everyone offers digital marketing services these days, but most are not close to being a creative agency. So, have you been thinking about your marketing all wrong? What’s your campaign strategy? Because I can tell you it takes more than 2-3 months to deliver consistent results.
If you want to truly grow your business, find the right partner, build a strategy, develop a campaign to deliver your message, and most of all, have a little patience.