Why Marketing is a Slow Burn

Expect results. Just make sure you're expecting the right ones at the right time.

You've signed off on more marketing budget. You’ve approved the new approach on campaigns. The marketing team are excited. 

But three months later and nothing has changed.

Does that sound familiar? You're not alone.

Marketing has become a casualty of the demand for instant results. It’s easy to think running one pay per click campaign or a single advert should be generating loads of leads that somehow magically all turn into sales within days.

When the board are all turning their heads towards marketing, they forget your usual sales cycle is 6-9 months and start asking where the sales are in month two.

Sales and marketing inevitably overlap, but they don’t do the same job. Marketing should support the different stages of the buying cycle, and help create the conditions for sales to do their job. Measuring marketing purely by sales made forgets the mechanics and timing of the sales process. 

Consistency builds momentum

It’s about being consistent. Keeping going and building momentum. Building brand equity, so when prospects are looking for what you provide, they think of you.

Using marketing tools which are right for your customers – not the latest fad, or the intern’s passion. Not using every tool in the box. A few done well are usually more effective than lots of tools used averagely or worse. Constantly changing tack makes it difficult to maintain momentum.

Of course, it all hinges on having a great plan. Not only does that ensure nobody goes off-piste, but it’s also something to point at in the boardroom. Everyone knows what’s happening and why. They know if everything is on track.

Measure progress, not just sales

It’s not about letting marketing off the hook. But it is about knowing what to measure. What should you be looking for to be confident of progress? Not sales in month two – but increased engagement, relevant enquiries, a better pipeline and good conversations. In other words, the start of marketing handing the baton to sales – not the sale.

Marketing is a slow burn. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t expect results. It means being realistic about what success looks like – and when.