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In 1989, the movie Field of Dreams made this tagline famous: “If you build it, they will come.”
It worked great in the movie, but it’s a terrible business strategy. The truth is that you need to define and amplify your message if you want to succeed in business. That’s why marketing is so important.
It’s also vital to do the right marketing. If you don’t have the right audience or don’t focus the message to be relevant, you won’t get any traction.
Let’s take a look at several reasons why marketing is important and how to do it right.
The primary reason “If you build it” doesn’t work is that there are too many people and companies that are clamouring for everyone’s attention. If you’re quiet, you’ll never be discovered and therefore you’ll never get any sales.
Fortunately, you don’t have to out-shout the noise. Instead, focus on finding the people who are your ideal customers — the ones who truly benefit from your products and services. These are the people you need to reach with your message.
Then, target the message so that it’s highly relevant to those people. That means that if a different person sees the marketing, they won’t be interested, because the message doesn’t apply to them. That’s OK, though, because they wouldn’t likely buy anyway!
When you focus on a specific target audience with a uniquely relevant message, you’ll make a big impact without even raising your voice.
Another reason why marketing is important is that no matter what your product or service is, somebody out there really needs it. That’s why the product or service exists at all! For example, if you run a plumbing business, homeowners really do need help when their plumbing won’t work properly.
You need marketing because you need to make yourself known to the people who desperately need you. Your business doesn’t just make money, it makes other people’s lives better and easier. Marketing is how you connect with the people you serve.
The way to share this kind of message is to know exactly how your ideal customers benefit from what you offer. Share those benefits on your website, social media, and much more. When you do, the people who are looking for those solutions will connect with you and become customers.
Marketing and advertising are often put into the same category since they focus on the same end — making sales. However, they are different approaches.
When you advertise, you might raise awareness of your business, but you’re interrupting someone while they are doing another activity. For example, you might have a radio ad when someone is trying to listen to music, or an online ad while a person is on social media to connect with friends.
Interrupting can sometimes be effective, but you’re not going to hit people when they are most interested in your services. That means you pay a lot more for the results you need.
Instead, consider using marketing that draws customers in, like search engine optimization (SEO). With proper optimization, your website will appear in search results right when someone is looking for information about your product or service. This is a perfect time to connect with a lead, because they are actively searching for what you offer.
When you connect with high-quality leads through SEO, you get much better engagement and conversion rates. These folks are often ready to buy, so you’re sharing your message to the perfect person at the perfect time.
Of course, you do marketing in order to make sales. But there are other benefits as well that go beyond the immediate revenue. When you do marketing well, you increase awareness of your brand. You also create and build a reputation online.
This awareness and brand-building give you the opportunity to build relationships that could turn into sales in the future. It also keeps you top-of-mind so that when a prospect is ready for your product or service, your business is the first one they think of.
Having a strong online reputation takes the power of word-of-mouth marketing and multiplies it immensely. The internet has far more people than your local area, and information spreads much more quickly. Having a good brand image online can grow your business considerably.
Your marketing is the most important investment you can make in your business. It’s the way you share your message, build your brand, and connect with ideal customers that are ready to buy.
If you’d like help with your marketing online, we’re here for you. We’ve helped thousands of small businesses succeed through SEO and digital marketing. Contact us today for a free consultation!
