Maybe you need to refresh the current state of your marketing practices or you are going to launch a business. Either way you need the inquiries and revenues to start rolling in. Whether an advertising channel makes a promise or your internal team convinces you of quick returns, the reality is that results take time. Despite our consumer expectations of immediate gratification, we can’t have the same mindset when it comes to marketing and promoting our businesses. It can take months, even a year or more.
A business owner that stops marketing or doesn’t do it to save money is like a employee who stops a clock to save time… It doesn’t work!
Marketing is what businesses do to try to reach people to convince them to want and then buy what you have to sell.
It’s a simple idea but every marketing activity takes time to accumulate momentum. Real results with longevity take time and effort. You need to plan what you’re going to do, choreograph the execution, review progress, and make adjustments. Then, you cycle back to analyzing your progress.
Promises Promises Promises (Don’t Get Lured In)
“Advertise in your local newspaper or on a local website and get ___ new customers.”
“Let’s post every day on social media, and we’ll receive ___ more calls.”
“Use these keywords in your Google AdWords and your website will boom with ___% more visitors.”
We’re not ones to proffer quick fixes or silver bullets because no one marketing tactic exists in a vacuum. You can’t just do one thing and expect to be overflowing in purchases or leads.
Why Marketing Takes Time
…Time to reach potential customers through social media, SEO, advertising, and any other communication channel with consistent branding and messaging
The process requires a significant amount of research, a very strategic plan, a choreographed dance, and the patience to diligently stick with your list of marketing action items.
… Patience to help people become aware of the need that you fulfill or that your offering is better than the competition by building a reputation through reviews and brand name recognition
Consistency is a critical factor in seeing results and the more often your company gets in front of your prospects, the more likely they are to pursue your products and services. When you have successfully answered potential customers’ basic questions with our content, they will be more likely to make a purchasing decision.
… Diligent effort to convince consumers to purchase your product or service takes time to build the value potential customers see in your company/brand, as well as multiple interactions to close the deal
To get that purchase, all of your marketing efforts must work together to complement each other. Your brand-look, materials, SEO, blogging, social media, online ads must be coordinated, consistent, and complimentary.
We’ll Say It Again
It takes time to plan what you’re going to do including contingencies, organization of timing and responsibilities to choreograph the execution, report and review progress, and make adjustments to campaigns or budgets. After that, it is a loop where we cycle back to monitoring progress and making adjustments on a monthly or quarterly basis.