Are There Businesses Out There That Don’t Need Marketing?

Every day, whether speaking with small business executives at the Craze Management office in New York or elsewhere globally, I am consistently amazed how often many say, “We don’t do much marketing,” or, “We don’t need that.”

It’s not my job or place to judge these individuals, many of whom run super successful companies. But, I think we need to get something straight:

You may be able to run your business and do just fine with a limited marketing budget, a poorly designed, ineffectively articulated website, and no social media or paid advertising. But who wants “just fine.” We want excellence, we want to surpass goals, we want to thrive and wow our customers.

No matter if you’re the super successful bakery on Main Street that’s been around since 1940, a financial advisor firm, a real estate company, a summer camp, a clothing store, a canned goods distributor, or an a accounting firm, you need marketing. When we speak about marketing, small business executives focus on one thing: spending money. And yes, while a successful long-term marketing strategy does cost money, it should be seen as an investment in growth, not as burning cash.

Unless, of course, you don’t want to grow. Again, not judging.

Today, you can reach new customers in more ways than ever before. I’ll spare you the social media sales pitch, because I’m sure you have heard that exhaustively.

Instead, I invite you to consider:

1. Can my business handle growth now or in the future?

2. What would growth look like?

3. How much do I spend each year to market my business (if anything), and how am I currently allocating those dollars? Can those dollars be allocated in a better way to help my company generate more revenue?

4. If I set aside $______, how would I spend it?

5. What is my biggest marketing fear? Is it too big of an investment? Will I be digging a never-ending hole? Do we not have the infrastructure? Will a marketing endeavor take up more of my time?

6. Is my current website a good representation of who we are and how we do business?

7. If I make the investment in a marketing campaign, will it really lead to results?

Ultimately, it’s all about question #7, right?

Any time you make an investment, you must ensure that you see a return. Companies that employ a reasonable marketing budget and do not see a return, quite simply, aren’t doing it correctly.

This is one reason I started Craze Management. Small businesses that don’t have millions to funnel into a marketing campaign need guidance on how to properly allocate whatever marketing budget they have to build a marketing strategy that generates results. Most don’t have someone in-house to manage the day-to-day responsibilities to implement and execute a solid strategy. That’s a problem.

I want to know about your marketing goals and struggles. Send me an email with your answers to the above questions, and let’s see if we can find a solution for you (even if it does not include working with CM). A strong small business isn’t “just fine.” Aspire to be the best.

Craze Management (CM) is a full service marketing agency accelerating the growth of small business through ongoing marketing management. You can learn about CM by visiting crazemgmt.com or calling our offices at 917–473–1411.