Why marketing is important – especially when business is good.
Why add fuel to your car? Because after a few miles you aren’t going to be headed anyplace. The same applies to a business, whether it’s a B2B model or an online store.
After a good trade show with lots of orders, your sales team is busy, and it feels like that trend will continue on and on. So, why bother focusing on marketing if your pipeline is full? Being proactive with your marketing approach can make or break your next cycle. This article takes a deeper dive into that question and the many answers.
Continual upward growth is streaky. We’d all like to believe that the current cadence will go on (and on). And, like anything else, fast occurring growth eventually slows down. Having consistent performance takes maintenance.
The myth of the sale. Even salespeople sometimes forget that you need to prime the pump before a transaction happens. The sales funnel needs continual tending for finding new prospects, earning their trust, offering information that eliminates fears and concerns. Don’t forget this is the time to look at how you stack up against your competition. If they have a better website, offer a more ready explanation about how they work, more in-depth technical information, and are seen at the best trade shows, they will be top of mind when it’s time to call and get a quote.
Brand visibility is something that is always needed, whether your business is humming along or in a low cycle. As some types of industries have deep cycles, it becomes imperative to support the high and quiet times with even and consistent visibility along the way. Staying out there may seem superfluous when the pipeline is full. Take this time to have a conversation about target growth numbers with your team and what activities it will take to get there and stay there.
Having the right mix of tactics is essential, you need to know where your prospects hang out, what brings people to your website, and what gets them to call when they are ready. If this makes you nervous, working with an experienced consultant can steer you in the right direction with a plan that makes sense for your specific industry and company.
Organic branded search is what happens when someone searches using a brand or partial brand name as part of the term (i.e. “company name + flat optic materials”). If you research what words to use as part of your SEO campaign, and your competition is showing up more often, that is an indicator that you have more work to do for brand recognition. Work on an overall brand campaign to become more recognized and better understood. Tracking keyword growth over time by knowing which branded terms people use to find you is one of the indicators of your brand’s overall strength.
Another way of approaching this is to focus on content marketing. Not only does it increase your online visibility, but it offers a reliable method of confirming what your team does.
It’s easy to slack off and think that your sales streak will last without proactive marketing. Deep advertising pockets are helpful but not necessary. Copying your competitor’s moves in a reactionary way does not drive more people to find you, as the focus shifts on what they are doing instead of what you need to do. Create a way forward that fits your company’s vision and yearly goals. This path likely will need to change from year to year as the company grows and adds new products and supporting services.
Your marketing (or lack of) is apparent in everything a prospect or returning customer sees. Consistent communication, use of appropriate graphics, and strategic visibility will keep those wheels turning for years to come.
For more information on how your company could benefit from a strategic marketing plan, contact us at hello@fullgallopcomm.com.
