Why I Am A Marketing Hypocrite

It was a hot summer and business was booming. I hired a few freelancers on to help out with the influx of new business that was coming in, allowing me to make a few more summer memories with my family.

I operate a web development and online marketing firm out of Saskatoon, Canada. When June rolled around, we had already made the same amount in sales as the whole previous year. Things were going great! A busy summer for a B2B company is a good thing. In the previous years, we were accustomed to a pattern; an autumn slow down. In the late summer, sales would typically slow down as business owners took time to enjoy the summer and gave little thought to growing their business.

Near the end of September to mid October, our sales would increase again as business owners got back in the swing of things… well at least that is what the pattern was. We usually enjoy the slow down as a time to catch up on projects and tie up loose ends, but this year was different. Trusting, that by mid October things would pick up, I became a hypocrite.[infobox]READ >> Four Tips For Small Business Marketing Success[/infobox]

I am a Marketer. Everywhere I look, I absorb marketing ideas, trends and methods. I always tell businesses to market when things are good, not when they are bad. Too often I receive phone calls from small business owners who say that business has really slowed down and they need to “do something”. I think to myself, “I am a marketer, not a magician!”

Turns out, I needed to take my own advice! Mid October faded into November… things still not picking up as they should. As mid November approached, I realized I was that business owner—I had waited till it was slow to market my business. The moment I realized that things may not pick up on their own, I got my butt in gear. I increased my marketing efforts.

Within a few weeks, business was back where it should have been all along. Now fully into the new year, we are looking at adding a few more freelancers to the mix. Marketing works, but needs to be a “lifestyle”, rather than something you add when things slow down.

Suffering from a slow time? Looking to boost your business through advertising? Read our Four Tips For Small Business Marketing Success.