I have a very good friend who’s an economist. We continually have heated discussions about politics and economics.
He does not like politicians and as a rule, he says the laws they pass are self-serving, wrong, and not good for the economy.
“What’s best for the economy is not what politicians promote, because what’s best is usually not popular, so they won’t get re-elected”, he says.
Wow, what a parallel between economics and b-to-b marketing:
What’s best for the b-to-b marketer is usually — especially in mid-size firms — not adopted by the c-suite, quite simply because it costs money and may cut into profits.
How short sighted.
A firm will spend all sorts of money on equipment, sales and admin people, managers, hardware and software — but they get all wimpy and scared when it comes to investing in marketing.
It’s unfortunate, since with today’s lower-cost, wider-reaching, instantly-measurable tactics and tools, a b-to-b marketer can brand itself and get sales leads and beat its competitors faster and better than ever.
Marketing is not about being careful so you get “re-elected” — it’s about having the guts to do what’s right, what’s proven to work.
Spend the time to plan: establish your objectives and develop your strategies.
Then, choose the tactics that support your strategies, and establish a budget — even if it’s not a big budget.
This isn’t politics; it’s economics — do what’s right for your company.
Make a plan and stick to it, but stay nimble so you can vary your tactics depending on market conditions and analytics.
