Wherever You Are, Start There
Leaders of companies at all stages of development struggle with decisions about when and how much to invest in their brand, marketing, and communications.
Many of them struggle or fail to act because most founders and CEOs emerge from very different backgrounds. Marketing and communications activities often seem like a black hole—a potentially expensive one.
As a result, they are often vexed by decisions about what to do next. The good news is that a relatively modest amount of attention, properly directed, can clear the fog of decision-making. By undertaking an assessment of your business and its landscape in the context of marketing and communications, you can set priorities that will get your message out into the marketplace with clarity and purpose.
I spoke with a tech startup founder recently who was struggling to figure out how and when to start his brand marketing efforts. He had some great products under development, but he had learned from the experiences of his peers that product launches can fail to gain traction due to poor integration of marketing and communications. He posed several related questions:
Should I hire a strategist?
What about a junior level staffer producing a constant flow of external communications?
What level of expertise do I need
Should I hire an agency?”
It quickly became clear to me that the reason he couldn’t figure out where to start is because he had no idea where he was going. Of course, he knew he wanted to reach customers so they could learn about and buy his problem-solving products. What he didn’t yet understand or appreciate is how well-executed communications built on a solid brand marketing strategy would deliver value. And, quite frankly, he was scared of failure.
When potential product launch failure is looming over you, every option looks expensive and daunting, and none seem appealing.
This founder’s situation is far from unusual, and it’s not limited to startups. Over the years, I’ve spoken with the CEOs of numerous successful organizations whose branding, marketing, and communications efforts are initiated or expanded only when some external factor forces their hand. They generally wait until sales are falling, fundraising is lacking, or, worse, they are facing some reputational crisis caused by external criticism that threatens to damage their brand and dent investor confidence.
You don’t have to wait until the sky is falling before implementing some impactful marketing and communications initiatives. There are several places you can begin, no matter where you are now:
Find a seasoned expert to discuss your marketing and communications issues, assess them, and pinpoint where you highest priorities should be.
Create a thought leadership initiative to provide perspective around the services you provide and the problems you are working to solve.
Organize a facilitated event that builds internal clarity around why, what, and how your organization delivers. This can lead to important insights on your brand and reveal priorities for outreach.
If you wait for the perfect time to get started, that moment will either never come or it will come faster than you expect and at a very high cost.
But if you start now from a position of strength, you are more likely to devote your efforts (and a manageable number of resources) on well-considered brand marketing and communications activities that deliver real value.
Don’t wait until your hand is forced or you will likely focus on preventing someone from destroying value rather than creating it.
What are your challenges in determining your next steps with brand marketing and communications? Drop me a line at desmond@revisionstrategy.com or schedule a brief consultation to let me know what’s on your mind.