How Time Invested In Marketing Activity Impacts Your Growth
How Long Is A Piece Of Time?
So, here is a thing, the measurement of time. WOW! is what immediately springs to mind because over the centuries the range of ways that time has been measured has evolved so much. From tracking the sun across the sky, to using sundials, water clocks and an hourglass.
Now we have a vast range of devices that are geared up to show time and maximise the instant world we live in now where we can access almost anything, anytime, anywhere!
What Is Time, Really?
Considering time as a thing – it can be considered still quite abstract as really, it's not something we actually see, touch or feel. Yes, we can watch the hands on a clock moving and we hear “tick tock” (even that has new meaning now!) but what is time really?
What is fact is that time has a major influence in our daily lives as it dictates so much of our routines; when we eat, when we sleep, when we work and even what we do with friends and family. Interesting, when it's not something we can actually touch yet it’s so impactful.
What Is The Impact Of Time Invested In Marketing Activity For A Business?
So, if that’s the case, then let’s consider time in relation to marketing. What is the impact of time invested in marketing activity for a business?
When we say time, we mean the time given by you, your team, your suppliers and people who have some influence on the growth and success of your business. They are all investing time into your purpose and that needs measuring. When we sit back and think about people we employ, they may be working 20-40 hours per week, that’s quite a few! What do those hours mean in terms of marketing? Who is actually involved in it? Is it just one person’s job?
The answer is everyone who has involvement in your business has a role to play so their time is super valuable and needs measuring. Then we get to the subject of how and why.
Marketing As A Process With Clear Purpose
What really helps is if we see marketing as a process – an integral part of the business and an everyday function just like Accounting. To then consider that marketing needs to deliver on set business outcomes, one of which is client feedback, we can then look at who is spending what time working on activity that will generate that result.
Our experience has shown us that its not just about saying “I am going to spend a day on marketing” it's about starting out with clear purpose on what it means, and then planning the time on the activity that will deliver on those outcomes.
People often ask how much time should they spend on marketing. Well, we are passionate about saying that the answer is not given in number of hours, its about knowing the essential business outcomes needed for a business and investing time to deliver on them all. Marketing still has so many myths attached to it and this still proves to be one of the biggest challenges for those operating in this wonderful environment – time, money, ROI.
Summary
Marketing is still often perceived as a “cost” – so, to summarise this blog, we want to leave with these thoughts. If marketing is the creation and maintenance of your selling environment then that immediately takes away the perception that marketing is a cost.
Marketing is an investment in the very thing that will lead to your success.
Invest in the people you have, train them, develop their skills and involve them in your process – that’s how you align time to marketing in such a way that is positive and rewarding for all.
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