Action: Fuel + Motor
In my discussions about marketing strategy with clients, I use the motor + fuel metaphor all the time.
If sales is the engine for a business, then marketing is the fuel that keeps the engine running.
I always want clients to realize that they need to refuel their marketing efforts regularly, not just when there’s extra money in the bank. The last thing they want is for sales to stop, but waiting to activate marketing until they start to experience a slowdown nearly guarantees a significant lull, while the momentum builds again. Especially for new businesses, this can be an unwelcome concept, because money is tight and the business owner is trying to spend as little as possible.
I would recommend that clients think about filling the sales gas tank the same way we all did when we were starting out and facing cash flow challenges. Instead of trying to fill the tank every time, choose to put in a steady amount of gas at a regular interval.
For example, $500 every month for six consecutive months can have a greater impact than a single $3,000 expenditure on day one, with nothing else happening until day 180. That smaller monetary commitment on a monthly basis allows the business to be more nimble too — it provides an opportunity to change tactics if results fall short of expectations. A single expenditure rarely offers that chance.
For larger clients who have successful marketing initiatives underway, the principle is exactly the same, they just invest more at each interval because we are fueling multiple tactics.
So for a business that is interested in growth, they’ll always need to refuel and to do so on a regular schedule.
Jill Pullen
Excelovation
Marketing Strategy
404-271-5778
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