10 ways in which marketing is like exercise

I was talking to a business owner the other day, who despite having a £4 million turnover has no structured marketing budget. The business dips in and out of marketing and tends to spend according to what looks like a good idea at the time. He described the following:

• He tends to start a marketing activity with real vigour, and then loses interest.
• He’s tried various things, and they’ve never really worked.
• He’d really like to just flick a switch.
• There are certain time of year when the pressure if off in other areas, so he can focus on marketing.

This sounds an awful lot like things I’ve heard myself say about doing some exercise and getting fit:

• I say to myself that I will run everyday, which I do for about a week and then slip back into old habits.
• I’ve tried boxercise, yoga, rowing machines, etc. but I’ve never stuck at it.
• I try to convince myself that because I’ve done some exercise and can have ‘time off’ the next week or next day.
• I can’t be the only one to make New Year’s resolutions and the like, that just don’t last.

The thing about dipping in and out of marketing (and exercise) is that it doesn’t really work. To get fit, the ‘little and often’ is far more effective than big bursts followed by extended periods of inactivity. The same is true in marketing – I’d actually prefer clients to spend less overall on marketing if they do this in a sustained way, than I would to see huge peaks and troughs in activity. As, I’m sure a GP would prefer it if every patient did a little exercise every day, rather than the boom and bust of un-sustained good resolutions.

To get started you might need to shift a bit of flab, i.e. have a concentrated period of getting into good shape (e.g. messaging, brand, infrastructure, systems), thereafter you’ll need to have a regular routine. Naturally, it is also sensible to have regular check-ups with an expert, and you might want to vary what you do to maintain interest – I’m sure you can see the point I’m making.

10 ways in which marketing is like exercise:

1. If you start as young company you get into good habits for life.
2. It is hard to change the habits of a lifetime.
3. If things have gone to seed, it can be hard to get started.
4. A regular, structured, approach is best.
5. Even better if you integrate a little into everything you do.
6. Some people are absolute fanatics (like me), but most do fine with small changes.
7. There are lots of people out there promising quick fixes that don’t really work.
8. It takes a little while to see the results.
9. To get the best all-over results you need to vary the techniques you use.
10. Your company will look great, and feel healthy and fun.

The business owner in question is looking for a step change, they’ve hovered around the same turnover for a few years now and never managed to break the ceiling on their potential. For this he knows that he needs to get marketing fit… but just doesn’t know how.

At Clear Thought, we act as a kind of marketing ‘personal trainer’ – we’ll do a marketing health assessment, and put a programme together to get your business into good marketing health. We’ll then work with you to get into shape, transferring the skills to your business as we do it, so that when you’re ready, you can go it alone and maintain those good marketing habits. Indeed, we offer small businesses a free half day audit and report to get them started.

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