Have you forgotten the basic principle of marketing?

How are you doing out there?  Feeling a little stressed? I've had some interesting  insights about the challenges of getting in business of late.

One client expressed the opinion that most companies with a good product or service had grown organically for about seven years and then came the crunch. This was quickly followed by having to get to grips with the ever changing landscape of Social Media and Digital Marketing

One LinkedIn message revealed that a business had failed because "We took our eye off the marketing". 

A member of the audience where I was presenting last Thursday said she'd a great first quarter and then a much more challenging second one.She then went on to reveal the reason why "but I haven't been out there networking and business always drops off when I do that"

A bewildered friend admitted that he'd not looked at his website since it was first done, nor had he been proactive in marketing his business. And although he had seen the writing on the wall in terms of his niche sector going into decline he had done nothing about it - until he HAD to.

These types of conversation remind me that some people have forgotten the basic principle of marketing.  It may be a real drag but it's captured very neatly by Jay Conrad Levinson:

"Marketing is not an event but a process. It has a beginning, a middle, but never an end for it is a process.  You improve it, perfect it, change it even pause it but you never stop it completely"

In other words marketing is the accelerator pedal of your business! To get yourself underway why not answer these 6 key marketing questions.

And don't forget much of marketing is at no cost.  Take a look at some of my other posts about

Making the most of free images
Creating Infographics
Content Marketing - 10 ways to get it right


Remember "success is more down to choice then chance".  Personally I'm choosing to market myself at every opportunity and I'm also working hard with business owners that recognise they probably need to do the same! Get in touch if you'd like a little of that support.


Thanks to bottled void on Flickr for the image!