10 Statements that show your Company has an Out-of-date View of Marketing

We’ve all been there and I come across this quite regularly -- restraining a laugh or almost throwing up hands in despair, when a company’s leading men put forth an opinion any modern marketer would find outrageous.

But then, we can’t always blame the CEO or the owner. After all, many chief executives simply don’t come from a marketing or technical backgrounds, and even if they do, their knowledge is most likely to be not current.

(That takes it back to my earlier post – How old is your Marketing Head?

However, the fact today is that marketing has evolved to become increasingly technical as well as emotional, whether the CEO/ Business Owner believes it or not.

Here are 10 statements that we hear commonly that indicate that these CEO’s views of marketing are stuck in the past.

1.    “Social media is a waste of time.”

2.    “Our customers are not on social media.”

3.    “Our blog should talk more about how well we do things.”

4.     “What do you mean I can’t fight back on Twitter / Facebook?”

5.    “Every piece of content should always lead to a sale.”

6.    “Let’s get demand gen up by attending more trade shows.”

7.    “Listening to market feedback is a waste of time.”

8.    “We should rebrand to better communicate our value.”

9.    “Friction between Sales and Marketing is normal.”

10. “I know what the customers want.”

These examples are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to CEOs / Business Owners not understanding the marketing intricacies that drive their companies’ growth and that prevent many businesses from moving forward and realizing their full potential.

10 Things to Remember for an aspiring entrepreneur

1. Don't listen to what others are saying
2. Don't sit with your ideas. Make it happen.
3. Size of your idea doesn’t matter.
4. Be humble enough to know you can’t know everything. Be wise enough to know who to ask for help.
5. Be honest. Don’t cheat or take shortcut. Build your reputation.
6. Be here for the long run. If you want quick money / success – try smuggling.
7. Deliver what you promised. Promise what you can deliver.
8. Bring clarity to your thought. If your customers, investors or collaborators do not understand what you have to offer; they will never buy it from you.
9. Network well. Remember that networking doesn’t mean collecting business cards.
10. And help others first without expectations.

The Omnipotent Brand

A typical response I get even from some veteran entrepreneurs is that small businesses, with not enough money to spend, should concentrate on 'more important' aspects of the business than on branding; or even better - they think they have no need for Branding ! Branding for many small (even bigger) enterprises never go beyond creating a logo and a "tag-line" (whatever that means!).

However, what most organizations don't understand is that every business creates an impression knowingly or unknowingly, positive or negative - that creates a certain perception about them in their customers' mind. The name, logo, ads, service quality, employees' behavior and attitude - everything contribute to this perception.

So, like it or not you do have a brand; what you do with it is, of course, entirely up to you.

The best thing, however, would be to take control of it to your advantage instead of just letting impression happen haphazardly which might result in a negative perception.

Haphazard branding efforts doesn't help your customers associate themselves with your business - they might get confused, you would not have top of mind recall, or they would have no clear idea on what you can do for them.

Branding helps in removing these clutter. In addition, a clear and consistent message sets you apart from your competition and communicates exactly what you are offering. But avoid using repetitive and qualitative standard phrases like best of class", "award-winning", etc. And most importantly, walk the talk so it shows you value your commitment.