Marketing works. Advertising works.
They work for any kind of business, in any industry. They always have and, even though I don’t have a crystal ball, they always will. How they work, and what they look like, will change over time but the fact is people will always have problems to solve and goals to achieve, and businesses will always be there to help them. Advertising is the conduit that brings the two together.
So why, then, do some businesses not see the results, the returns, they want and deserve? There are way too many reasons to list here, but one of the common ones is because they’re not treating the marketing function like the key success pillar it is, and they’re adding it an afterthought to someone’s job description.
Adding ‘marketing and advertising’ to the job description of an existing team member is unlikely to get you the results you want.
Here’s why, and what you can do about it…
As much as Derek*here (our fearless builder in the picture) wants to do the baking, and messes about a bit in the kitchen at home, you would not get him to run the kitchen in your commercial bakery. No offence Derek*, it just seems like you have a different skill set.
Do you have the right marketing person in place?
You’d likely want someone with a background in, well, baked goods. You’d want to be sure the quality of your cakes was top notch. Your sausage rolls were spectacular, and your bread rolls were bangin’ because if they’re not, your clients will go elsewhere, right?
And on top of that, if Derek* is doing the baking, who is out the back building the extension you need to expand the manufacturing facility?
All sounds reasonable doesn’t it.
Which raises the question, ‘why do we think it’s Ok to have the PA, Admin Offier, HR officer, Accounts Payable officer, junior, or some other person in the business, run the marketing too?
They just don’t have the necessary skills, and despite the fact they might find it fun, is that really serving your business by having the best marketing possible. Are you taking your marketing as seriously as you should? It’s the one area of your business that can make or break you. It doesn’t matter how great your product or service is, if people don’t know about it they’re not going to buy it. These well known sayings exist for a reason…
- Great marketing and average product beats great product and average marketing every time
- Best known beats best quality (VHS versus Beta anyone?)
- Different beats Best (your product doesn’t have to be different, just the way you position your offer)
- People don’t buy the best product, they buy the one that’s easiest to understand
- A confused mind will always say no
These are all true, and they’re all a function of the quality of your marketing.
It’s not just about having a ‘Gen Z’ who can create a cool reel. It’s about having someone who understands fundamental marketing principles and can create a strategy. A strategy that is designed to find your ideal audience, engage them and systematically move them through the decision-making process. Someone who can design and implement an engaging and compelling customer experience likely to turn prospects into clients. Somone who can craft an offer, position it creatively and build messaging that effectively communicates with the people you want to serve.
Also, when they go down the marketing rabbit hole and start spending hours creating and sharing content, their actual job is going unfulfilled and you have to be the baddie and get them back on track.
But that Gen Z really wants to do the marketing. I mean, they love TikTok and know all the trending audio! Let’s face it, creating content and hanging out or socials all day is a cool job, right? (Really, it is pretty cool) And saying no can crush that enthusiasm which can be hard to find in ANY generation so you don’t want to say no.
You don’t have to say no. But you don’t have to give them all the things either.
Give them a specific marketing related task. Something they can still have fun with, but the outcome of your marketing (the return you’re going to get on your spend) doesn’t rely on them. And they don’t have to spend hours doing it.
Make them the main point of contact for your agency. Allow them time in their day to create content based on direction from your agency so it has a specific role to play in the overall plan. Give them access to a Canva and CapCut account so they can create real useable content.
This way you’re allowing them to have that fun element to their role so they stay motivated. But your handing responsibility for a core business function (lead generation and growth) to someone with the skills, experience and time to get it right.
Alternatively, train them up as marketers and make that their job. OK, you may not be big enough to have a full time marketing person, but that’s when an agency comes in handy. I mean with an agency you get a strategist with years of experience. You get a dedicated graphic design team and copywriters. You get trained and experienced media buyers. Customer service rep. Finding one person who can do all that is impossible. Trust me, I’ve tried. I’ve even tried to BE that person as a freelancer. It’s impossible. And to hire them all? Forget it unless you’re a big corporate with a massive marketing budget. An experienced marketing manager alone is well over $100k per year. Makes that $2500 a month agency fee sound pretty good doesn’t it.
If you’re serious about your business growth, you need to be serious about your marketing too. Use professionals with qualifications and experience. Allocate budget to the overall marketing function and set a portion of it aside just for advertising. Not sure how, or what’s the difference between advertising and marketing? Check out our blog on creating a budget HERE
If you’re really serious and you’re ready for real support from an agency with runs on the board, reach out to us now for a chat.
*Name changed to protect the innocent