Marketing Through the Wall - The Key to Marketing Success
Where to focus?
Having worked with a range of clients over the past few
years we have identified that just as products go through a
lifecycle, so does marketing. Whether you are a small
business or a multi-national, there will be times where
marketing just doesn’t seem to produce the same results as
it has done, and you hit a wall.
For those companies who take action to get through this
wall, they can move on increasing their marketing knowledge
and refining their marketing activity to take them to the next
level. However, for those who don’t, marketing impetus can
be lost and the success of earlier marketing activity can be
eroded.
The marketing lifecycle outlines that no matter how long you
have been actively promoting your organisation, the
marketing wall can happen at any time. The key to success
is realising that you need to increase knowledge or activity
and work your way through it to take you to the next level.
Kicking & Pushing?
Knowing when your marketing needs a kick or a push to
either get you over or through the wall is vitally important. It
can come in many forms, here are just a few you might
recognise.
♦ Reduction in sales leads
♦ Reduced marketing effort due to company workload
♦ Reduced recognition of the brand
♦ Competitors raising their head above the parapet
♦ Increased marketing costs for decreased return
♦ Tried and tested marketing activities not yielding the
same results
♦ No consistency of marketing materials throughout the
organisation
♦ Your brand is not communicating what you do now
♦ You have new products/services which have not been
promoted
♦ You have grown – employees have different ideas of
what your organisation does
It is important that you realise when you need to increase or
change your marketing efforts and not give reasons and
excuses for what is happening. You need to get results and
this can only be achieved by taking action.
However, it is important that before you take action you
discover where action needs to be taken and where the
focus needs to be.
Where are you?
We have developed the following matrix to help you to plot
where you currently are with your marketing.
The folling helps you to identify where you are
Marketing Action
Your marketing activity levels are high and you have been keeping
up-to-date with current marketing trends and knowledge. You
should be action orientated and have the impetus and capabilities
to break through the marketing walls you meet.
It will be important to review your marketing regularly to ensure the
action you are taking is getting the results you need and not
become complacent.
Procrastination
You know what you need to do in theory, as you have a good
knowledge of marketing and what it can do for your organisation.
However, activity is low, either because you can’t make decisions
on the most appropriate marketing activities to undertake, or you
put off action because there are other things to do.
If you are in this sector, then taking no action will have
consequences. Take time to review what you want to achieve and
make sure that you gain some marketing impetus that will give you
the results you need to break through the marketing wall.
Busy doing nothing
In reality you are probably doing very little marketing activity and
your knowledge of what marketing can do for your organisation is
low. This may have happened because you became busy
delivering work, or perhaps you are a start-up company who needs
to achieve marketing momentum but doesn’t know where to start.
Find out what you want to achieve through marketing and put a
plan in place to achieve it. You will need to gain some marketing
knowledge and assistance to provide the guidance you need to
take the next steps to marketing success.
Point of no returns
This is when you have lots of marketing activity with either little or
no direction and your knowledge of what marketing can really do
for your organisation is low. You will be very busy sending out
marketing campaigns, but the results will often yield little or no
results, i.e. very little return for your efforts.
You need to stop and review what you are doing, put yourselves in
your prospective clients’ shoes. What would you think if you were
on the receiving end of your marketing efforts? Take some time to
gain knowledge, help and assistance to get your marketing back
on track.
Finally…
No matter where you think you are with your marketing, always take
the time to regularly review what is happing and where you can
make improvements. Gaining knowledge of what marketing can do
for your organisation and keeping up with the latest marketing
methodologies it vital. What worked last year, may not work now
and it is important to realise that you need real marketing strength,
power and focus to break through those marketing walls.
Take a look at more of our marketing articles
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