Don’t panic! I am shamelessly using that title to grab your attention, because, deep down, many businesses fear that they’ve missed the boat on marketing. They hear all the lingo and, understandably, start to feel completely overwhelmed at the prospect of trying to catch up.

If you worry that it is too late to start marketing your business, don’t. It’s not too late to start marketing your business – but you have to be smart about it, if you want to catch up from here.

If you’re going to market, do it the right way:

1) Critique your brand. Take this opportunity to take a good hard look at the foundations of your marketing. This is where businesses struggle the most; they’ve been running with a certain business name for three years (for example) so they feel invested in keeping it. Are they sticking to the brand it because the brand is good, or because they are too lazy/emotionally attached to ever consider switching it up?

Successful marketing comes down to being willing to ask hard questions and to hear answers you may not love.

2) Take a good, hard look at your website. Is your website serving you? Don’t ask your brother-in-law. Ask a marketing consultant, a business networking group, or other unbiased outsiders who will give it to you straight. There’s a difference between an okay website and one that is doing bang business for you.

3) Be honest about what you can commit to doing. This is as much about the budget you’re willing to commit to marketing efforts as it is about the time you’re willing to personally put in. Marketing often depends upon consistency. If social media is a valuable opportunity for your business but you’re not interested in having to micromanage it, consider hiring a reliable resource who will stick to the plan.

4) Hone your patience. Just because you decide to market one day doesn’t mean your SEO rankings or reviews will jump the next. Be ready for a process, but one with fantastic, helpful results.

Not sure where to start? Give us a call anytime!