The Marketing "Easy Button" Doesn't Exist
- Ross Paterson
- Jan 22
- 1 min read
When we started this business 20 years ago, I just wanted marketing to work like the manufacturing processes I had led for decades. Input. Action. Result. The frustration I experienced and still struggle with today is that marketing is the most non-linear process in my business. The activities that gave us fruit for two years stop working. Then a random encounter on a bike ride leads to one of our biggest contracts ever. How do we know what to work on?
Here are a few things we have learned in 20 years:
Marketing is never one thing. A solid mix of 6-8 intentional, wide-ranging activities leads to consistent results.
Don’t be a taker. Generously serve the market you need to influence. Help your prospects solve problems. Their problems.
Focus matters. Sure, every small business needs your product or service. But do some work first. Who really needs it? What is their problem? How do they experience/talk about this pain? Fish with bait targeted for what you want to catch. Wide nets are expensive and usually fail.
XM TRUTH: If you are a business owner, you are in MARKETING.
Marketing doesn’t function well in a hurry; it’s deliberate, measured, and anchored in helping the people you serve to relieve pain. The answers you are looking for are usually in your existing client base.
