As our wise and fearless leader Nicolle McClure says, “Marketing is like exercising. You can do it once, and you may feel pretty good about it – or you may feel terrible – but either way, you probably won’t get the results you want. If you want to make an impact, marketing is something you must actively work on, every day. You also need to mix up what exercises (marketing) you do, to achieve optimal overall health (success).”
In this blog, we break down what marketing does for your company on a fundamental level and why it's worth continually investing into it.
MARKETING FUNDAMENTALS
At its core, marketing is about getting a person to do a thing. The key aspects that you need to find out are who the people you are targeting, what do you want them to do, and how do you get them to do it.
Ask yourself, who is your current customer (age, income, etc.)? Are you looking to increase in that same demographic or expand into a new audience? Defining your target audience is the first step to developing a targeted and strategic marketing plan.
Next let’s focus on what you want them to do. Wanting to increase profit is the main objective, but take it a step further. Be specific. Your goal may be to increase sales of a particular product/service. Even something as simple as following your business on social media is an action that we try to get people to take to increase your overall awareness and online ranking.
The final, and arguable the most difficult part of the marketing process, is how do we get our target audience to perform our desired action. What avenues do we need to utilize in order to reach our t defined audience? What messaging will be most effective to get them to act? This is where the consistent and various exercising comes in to play. What works for one area, may not work for the other. Businesses all need to try a mix of avenues and messages to find that which works best for achieving their desired marketing goals.
INVEST INTO MARKETING
Now let’s look at the second half of the equation – investing. Investing simply means inputting money to try and achieve profit. However, what you are investing in can generate different results. Looking at different types of financial investments, you can take the riskier option for the potential to achieve a higher reward, or you can take the safer option, which may yield less stellar results but comes with less risk. Additionally, you can put in money with the goal of making more money, but you can also put in money and end up achieving a goal you didn’t realize was possible.
Investing with marketing works the same way. If you choose to invest your marketing dollars into social media and digital ads, for example, you can gain awareness, reach and engagement within your market, as well as drive traffic to your website, ultimately increase your digital footprint.
There are numerous marketing avenues you can pursue to achieve your marketing goals. Some are riskier to invest in and some will end up getting you nowhere. Just like our exercise metaphor at the start, if your goal is to increase your core strength, but you choose to only exercise your legs, you won’t achieve your desired outcome. If you spend all your marketing money on exercise equipment, but then never use it – you will also come away disappointed. All businesses need to make a significant, and conscious effort to invest in marketing.
Determine who it is you want to target, and what you want them to do, then talk with a marketing expert to determine the best way to achieve your goals. Sometimes all we need to succeed is the right coach. Want the perfect physique – hire a physical trainer. Want to expand your financial portfolio – higher an investor. Want to grow your business – hire a marketer. Can you do it on your own? Absolutely, but it usually goes faster, easier, and requires less from you to have an expert manage it for you.
Our mission at Finch Marketing is to be a trusted marketing resource. We are experts in the healthcare industry and passionate about helping our clients grow and achieve their marketing goals. We are here to help you, too.
For questions, or to schedule a free marketing consultation, drop us a line!
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