Marketing in Malta is still very much misunderstood and underrated. A big number of business owners seem to think that spending money on marketing is a waste. This occurs especially if they set up an isolated marketing effort and this doesn’t give them the results they hoped for. This results in them thinking that marketing must not be for them. This couldn’t be further from the truth, simply because that is not how marketing works.
I have worked in sales and marketing for most of my life. Today, as the director of my own business – NB Marketing – I get to face many business owners. Many seem to think that if their marketing effort doesn’t bear fruit immediately, then, they have either engaged the wrong person/company or believe that marketing doesn’t work. Here are some common misconceptions about marketing:
I spent money on a campaign and the results are not what I expected – marketing is a waste of money
Marketing is an investment. Investing in marketing is something that needs to be done consistently. In time, the results you hope for will arrive but one cannot expect to spend a lump sum only in a particular month of the year and yield results all year round. It just doesn’t work that way. Your marketing efforts, whatever channel they are on, have to be CONSISTENT. Even if your efforts are lower during non-peak times for your business, this is normal, however, what is not normal, is that your business simply disappears for months on end.
I started marketing my business x months ago and my investment hasn’t been justified as yet so something must be wrong
As with most investments, it will take some time before you can actually see tangible results. Some of the most common questions I am asked are:
- How many likes can I get on my social media by spending x amount of €?
- How long will it take for my new business to pick up once we start marketing it?
- I hear online marketing is the way to go, therefore, if I spend all my budget online, will I get to my desired results quicker?
There is no one answer to these types of questions event though everyone is fixated on getting results NOW. However, if your business has been dormant for years, it would be unrealistic to believe that once you start marketing people will be flocking to you. What is also true is that no one size fits all. There are too many variables at play to be able to answer such questions truthfully so my advice is: be patient.
My friend has a business. I asked my marketing person/agency to do exactly what he told me he did but it’s not working – it’s obvious the person handling my account is incompetent
Oh my! Where do I start? Ok, I know… If you engaged a marketing professional, why are you telling them what they should be doing? They should be the ones telling you what is best suited for your business. Which channels you should be using, how to reach your target audience etc.… Also, just because your friend has a business and engaged in specific marketing actions, it doesn’t mean the same actions will give you the same results. I will repeat – no one size fits all. Let your marketer guide you and trust the process. If you quit mid-way into your marketing plan because you are not getting immediate results, then yes, you would have wasted your money.
Consistency is key, in whatever you set your mind on doing. Compare it to a person who is trying to lose weight. Eating a salad once a week is not likely to make him achieve his goal. On the other hand, consistently eating healthy food and working out will! Trust the process, invest wisely and be patient. In the end, all the pieces of the proverbial puzzle will fall into place.
