Marketing is like a coat hanger

Like a lot of blokes I have a nasty habit of throwing my best clothes down on a chair, or the floor, etc. This irritates my wonderful wife who begs me to consider the value and use a &^%$£&^ coat hanger!

Do you use these?

In recent months as the UK economy has been waiting for the election result,  a number of clients have treated their marketing in the same way. They just discarded plans, stopped investing, refused to participate in social media, and just threw their marketing activity "on the floor".

I've done it myself. When you're super busy and have piles of work you just forget to do the basics. Some will notice this is the first blog in quite a few weeks!

Marketing takes time and investment and needs to be part of a business plan just like managing cash flow and new product or service development.

Marketing is just like the coat hanger you use to protect and keep your best clothes in the best shape possible.

And the most important part of your marketing coat hanger is the bit at the top - the hook or loop that you use to hang the item up with. That loop has to be strong and resilient and designed to take a lot of weight. In marketing terms that hook has nothing to do with money or time. The hook or loop on your marketing coat hanger is all about focus and importance.

I consider marketing to be the most important function in running and developing a successful business - and every business needs to start the day with a marketing moment. Every day is a marketing day and a day which is dominated by anything else is a wasted day.

I can assure you that businesses that fret over investing 5 or 10 percent of turnover on marketing are competing with businesses that invest 20% as a minimum.

So put your business away each night on a marketing coat hanger you can be proud of, rather than just leaving it in a crumpled heap on the floor, waiting for someone to tread on it.

Image courtesy of winnond at FreeDigitalPhotos.net