It kills me when a business owner says my brother (replace this with any relative) does my marketing. Then they proceed to show me the flyer that their “relative” put together for $50. Inevitably, the conversation takes a turn because I simply cannot let another human being continue to live a lie. The truth is that most people don’t know the difference between marketing and advertising.
Marketing is probably the least sexy part of what we do at Centipede Digital; however, it is my personal favorite. The best way to explain it is that marketing is the science behind advertising and communications. It is the art of data analysis and practical application, infused with ingenuity and innovation. Truly understanding human behavior, color, environment, habits, beliefs, culture and experience can have a phenomenal impact on the bottom line of a business.
Picture yourself standing in the middle of a foreign country where everyone speaks the language, but you. You can hear the conversation everyone is having, but it is falling on deaf ears. You are only visiting the country for a short time and you don’t care to learn the language. Now reverse the role. When you are in a familiar place everything looks, feels and sounds right and makes you feel at home.
While the flyer “Uncle Sid/brother Charlie/Cousin John” produced may be effective by someone’s standards; the bottom line is that it is probably nowhere near as impactful as it could be. Bad advertising is a product of bad marketing and at Centipede Digital we say no to #badmarketing. We don’t want to just make pretty pictures and let you walk away, hoping it all works out. We want to have reasoning behind the pretty picture- Why those colors? Why that image? Why that CTA?
It is essential that you evaluate your customer and their experience with your brand. Then ask yourself, are you really marketing or just putting out a bunch of pretty pictures? Here are some signs that you need to hire an agency:
- You or a close relative/friend created your most important sell sheet, logo, advertising or marketing piece and none of you have a degree in marketing
- You boost Facebook posts and call it a day
- You did a mailing once, but you didn’t see any return
- You scratch your head when someone asks you about your conversion/retention rates or your average customer acquisition cost
- You want to save money, so you do it yourself saving on labor, but not considering the lost potential
- You keep telling yourself “I am too busy with the customers I have right now to take on anymore”
If you relate to any of those items listed above, then you need to call us now! First, call Uncle Sid/Cousin Mike or Aunt Betty to let them down easy and then give Centipede Digital a call so we can move your brand forward.
Don’t take your marketing for granted, contact us today.