Have People Heard Of Your Business?

One of the big issues that I encounter is the idea that marketing appears to be carried out well, yet a business is struggling. Although it's not impossible for such a situation to occur, I would say that it's actually pretty rare. What this means to me is that we're facing an issue here that's all about perception. Why is it perceived that things are going better than they are?

There's one simple test that I like to apply in such situations. It works on the basic principle that successful marketing should ensure that a business is known to potential clients. Although this may not be a particularly sophisticated thought, you'll see that it should hold true. So the test is simply to phone up some potential customers and to identify whether they are aware of the particular business that I am considering.

This can often provide a somewhat uncomfortable few minutes for the business owner, although that's not actually my intention. Rather, this is usually a good way of demonstrating that marketing efforts simply aren't having an impact in the right areas. There may be a real difference between spending time on marketing activity and actually producing the results that are required.

If you feel that a lot of time and energy is going into this area, but that you're not seeing real results, then it may be time to think about whether you have the right strategy in place. Is it possible for you to make some improvements in this area? There's a good chance that you can see some sort of scope for making things better.

To begin with, you may want to think carefully about when you last reviewed the strategy. It's not enough to simply come up with a plan and then to hide it away in a drawer. You need to go back to it on a regular basis and to ensure that it's still relevant. The problem here is that the business landscape will always be changing. Within this context, it's absolutely critical that you should be responding in the correct manner.

If you're looking for motivation, then it may be worth remembering that your competitors will also be taking such an approach. In other words, you need to remember that you need to act, before your own efforts are overtaken by others. You don't want to be left behind in such circumstances.

There is no real magic formula when it comes to marketing. What I would suggest is that you should think about what you do well and what you are able to offer to potential customers. You then need to make sure that you get that information out there, so that it's seen by the right people. By sticking to these basic principles, you'll find that you won't go far wrong.