Drip, Drip, Drip. I hear Marketing in the Background

How is marketing like a pot of coffee? It is that drip, drip, drip of the daily grind.  Each morning, each afternoon, working the program.  A little of this and a little of that.

There is no silver bullet in marketing.  You just keep doing it.  An event. A website. A brochure. An ad. A sponsorship. An award.  A press release. A newsletter.  An email. A coupon. A blog link. A friend’s recommendation. A trade show booth.  A thank you note. A DVD video.  A podcast. A networking event. A business card. A speech handout.

Where does your business get leads from?  What makes a potential customer think of asking you “what is it you do?” or “Maybe you could help us with…” How do you manage your coffee pot?  Do you have it set to drip, drip, drip?  Or do you pour one cup (once a quarter) and expect it to draw a crowd for the next 3 months?

Maybe all your eggs are in the same basket.  A direct mail piece or a trade show.  Maybe you expect all your leads to come from those sales reps you’ve signed.  Obviously some things work better than others, but it depends on your market, your business and your potential customer.

I think you’ve got to keep “walking the pot” as we used to say back when I waitressed in college.  Keep the coffee coming.

When you’re doing the b2b marketing thing, often it’s a combination of about 5 or 6 things before you get that phone call or email that turns the process into high gear.

What do you think?

Links that inspired me this morning:

Keep on doing it even when you’re discouraged Thanks Yaro! You touched a nerve!
The Half Full book deal  Terry - you got me thinking about the daily grind… in a good way.

Need ideas? Checklist- for marketing ideas This may help.

Author: Chris Brown

Business owner operating a marketing consulting firm. Online Publisher. Keynote Speaker.

7 thoughts on “Drip, Drip, Drip. I hear Marketing in the Background”

  1. Thanks for the checklist. Adding video to a website is great way to increase leads and conversions. Other bloggers, like Woody Maxim, Ken McCarthy, and Ed Dale have really good tips on using video.

  2. It does take a combination of efforts to be effective.

    This is also a good reminder of how, there needs to be integration and consistency among materials.

    So many times, clients come to me with a specific project in mind. “I need a newsletter.” or “We need a new website.” but they make the mistake of viewing each of these actions as a very separate. There needs to be more thought about purpose, goals, and the brand, before starting a new marketing activity.

    But at the same time lets remember that the brand idea, purpose and goals, should drive marketing activities and not slow them down.

  3. Chris, at times it is to see things in a way that others do not. That can bring a freshness to your marketing, the expression of your ideas, and what you might share with others in a trade show.

    But at the bottom of it all is consistency in moving forward…. that drip, drip, drip!

  4. Chris, Great visual with the dripping coffee and such a true concept. We just don’t know how we’ll reach that potential customer nor when they’ll be in the market. If they are only in the market for three weeks every three years - there is no telling when that magic three weeks will be. We also don’t know which marketing impression will reach them most effectively. And studies show they have to see our message many times before they make the connection and take action.

    Great stuff - as always!

    Deborah

  5. Thanks Chris,

    I am in total agreement with your insights and approach to the “grind”…as a seasoned marketeer, I work closely with sales teams who remind me that are many ways to generate interest, shorten the sales cycle and provide the perfect content to convert leads and prospects.

    From white papers to case studies to cool captions on colorful infographics, many prospects require unique approaches to motivate them…and with BDM and IT decision makers, it takes lots of deliverables to push them all in your direction.

    Keep grinding!

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