With everything going on in the world today, it’s understandable for businesses to reevaluate their budgets. The question isn’t if you should restructure, it’s what should you eliminate?
What is marketing and why should every business be utilizing it?
To put it simply, marketing is how an entity lets the world know they exists.
Let’s take a walk together in our minds. Imagine you are walking down the street. You notice there is chalk writing on the sidewalk, arrows pointing you towards a restaurant. Suddenly it hits your nose like a freight train and you realize they are baking fresh bread. As you get closer, you hear someone say “Welcome to The Dough Aficionado,” you smile and walk by. Now this is a made up restaurant but even reading these words has you thinking about the warmth and comfort of fresh baked bread. Everything that just happened was the works of in person marketing. You saw, you smelled, you heard, and now you remember. This is why marketing exists. It’s simply there to inform you of the existence of something.
Get Discovered
What are the various features a good marketing campaign can supply? If done correctly:
Gain visibility
Create relationships and maintain rapport
Sell product or services (Generate revenue)
Create a supportive community
Share visions and purposes
Create brand recognition
Going Digital
In this day and age, if you aren’t digital, you aren’t being seen. You can no longer rely on foot traffic, mailers (which are a complete waste of money and resources), billboards are a thing of the past with no tangible results, and word of mouth works both ways. Currently there are more people looking at the internet and social media than ever before. Cutting digital marketing is the absolute worst thing a business could do right now. Marketing strategies that involve foot traffic, printed media (not mailed directly to the consumer), and in person involvement are not the most beneficial for this immediate reality. The best thing you can do is adapt to the situation and that means taking a look at your budget to see what funds are being wasted.
A Social World
Human beings are social beings. We depend on real life interactions, no matter how minimal. Each day we become more dependent upon speaking to one another and being heard. Social media allows businesses to not only sell product, but to socially interact with their consumers on a daily basis. Massive companies who in the past had little to no personal interactions with customers can now speak to them in an immediate fashion. Not only that, social media allows consumers to follow companies they enjoy and see a new side to their story. It makes a company and a product feel more like a personal connection. Companies not taking full advantage of social media are missing out in a big way.
CUtting Marketing means Loss
Whether it’s digitally through social media and the internet, or physically by means of visual, aural, or textural means, marketing shows that it is out there. Find what brings your business immediate contact to the consumer. A strong marketing strategy should adapt to circumstances.