Marketing Minute

As the marketplace softens, business owners find themselves asking a question that they haven’t asked for several years through the pandemic. “Where can I get more customers?” There are thousands of agencies out there that seem like they would be happy to help you out, but frankly, their services and fees seem pointless and ridiculous, and it’s hard to tie their work to any measurable results. I’m allowed to say that, because I manage an agency, and I know how we can get carried away.

As someone intimately involved in the industry, I’d like to warn you. If you’re desperate for customers, you’re putting off a “blood scent” to the marketing hound dogs. Please don’t sell your soul to the first person calling or knocking on your door. Slow markets should be busy markets for marketing agencies, so if someone comes across as begging for your work, either they’re new, or they’re simply not good at what they do. Make them work for it, and do you’re own homework. Here are a couple of things to remember when you’re thinking about adding marketing to your business.

1. Up to 75% of marketing lies in your customer experience. You’re in control of that. When people walk into your store, how are they being treated, and what are they seeing? Are there ways that you can improve their experience? Do that first before you multiply the amount of people coming in your doors.

2. Don’t think of yourself as a Business to Consumer company, or Business to Business company. Think of yourself as a Business to People company. Never forget that your business growth is going to come one person at a time. If you care intimately about them and their needs, it will show.

3. If you’re looking at hiring a marketing agency for anything, just remember that you should feel like the hunter, not the hunted. You’re in control of the situation, because you’re paying the bills. Ask them how they measure success, and how that will affect your sales, or at least the amount of people coming in the door.

4. Marketing should never be a last ditch effort, so start by building good plans. However, if you find yourself in a major pinch, and want to act fast. Google Ads, or ads on an appropriate social media channel tend to be the fastest, best bang for the buck methods to draw people. And these are highly trackable, so make sure you’re being kept in the loop with what’s happening with your money.

Preston Miller
Managing Partner / Creative Warehouse Marketing