How Much Marketing Do You Need?

I’m working with a client who is launching a very exciting company selling leading-edge equipment to estheticians. A few days ago, I completed a first draft of the sales presentation they will give to their perspective customers, including a mock-up of their logo and an initial "look and feel" of the document.

As their team studied the draft, I said, "Of course, I’ll have to get a graphic artist to help us with the final design." There was a moment of silence. Then, the company president asked me, "Why? What you've created looks fine."

That got me thinking. How much marketing do you really need?

Marketing's job is to bring your message to the world, shaping your image and letting everyone know what you have to sell. It also includes key components of your image: logo, color scheme, and style. There are many different resources that can create this for you: your own team, consultants like Red Fender, advertising and PR agencies, graphics artists, and so on. You can spend a great deal of time and money on marketing, refining your image until you get it just right.

My client's question pointed out a significant point: Know where to draw the line. If a logo gets you 95% of the way there, go with it. If an initial look and feel is professional and gets the message out, call it good. These days, with money tight and everyone wearing a lot of different hats, it's important to use your limited resources wisely—especially when your company is young.

If you're never done marketing, in order to be effective, you have to continually push your message out to your intended audience. Start your campaign with a good, strong message. Then, let time be your ally. Evolve your marketing, refining it as you learn more about your customers and their needs. That will let you sharpen your message and your visual image gradually. It also relieves the burden of trying to make it perfect right from the get-go.

Just as Rome wasn't built in a day, neither will your marketing programs. Find the right resource, launch your campaign, and don't worry if it isn't perfect. Sometimes, what you have is truly all that you need.