subject: Strategic Marketing Essential To Business Growth [print this page] Strategic Marketing Essential To Business Growth
Small business owners usually have little of their own time to invest in marketing, and often confuse the term with advertising, not understanding that marketing is a much more structured and strategic approach to getting the business market-place exposure. Advertising is a part of a marketing strategy, but not the whole story, and businesses that go on to develop and be successful have usually, at a fairly early stage, recognized this. If marketing expertise is light on in the business itself, the quick answer is to outsource this function to professionals.When a business doesn't have the capacity to look after their marketing internally, it should be outsourcing this essential component. When choosing external consulting services business owners should investigate the various companies offering these services, and choose one with the following characteristics:=> Curiosity - A company needs to know every detail about a business to be effective - the products, services, information about the customers and how they use the products of the business, what makes them use the products and what they can offer to expand the customer base.=> Consistency - making a product the automatic choice in a target market requires a long-term, strategic approach. This doesn't mean boring either, so a good marketer can be consistent, as well as fresh and innovative simultaneously.=> Looking for results - a good marketer uses statistics and watches trends daily, gathering information like the number of website hits per day, number of qualified leads per campaign etc. When a planned campaign doesn't get the expected results, they will dissect the statistics looking for solutions.=> Willing to experiment - A good marketing consultant will always find new and fun ways to improve business and product development. They may change packaging, update key messaging or look at old campaigns with a fresh pair of eyes to find different tactics. Facebook and Twitter are great advertising tools and a good marketing consultant will use these to the clients' advantage.=> Make marketing fun - customers love a different approach that is playful, fun and will brighten their day.=> Openness to discussion - willing to talk to the business owner and answer questions - willing to research to give the owner information and ideas. Marketing consultants are always looking for a better way to bring a product or company to the public's attention.If, in their search, a business owner or manager finds a firm or individual exhibiting these characteristics, they can be confident that they are starting a relationship with someone who wants to know their business. To get the best value out of professional marketing services owners and managers must work with someone who is in it with them for the long haul.
