Thanksgiving is almost here, and you know what that means. Turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, pumpkin pie, uncomfortable family conversations, and at least one relative who insists on explaining cryptocurrency to everyone at the dinner table.
But there's another Thanksgiving feast happening all year long, and if you're a business owner, you might want to pay attention.
It's called YOUR MARKETING BUDGET.
And apparently, EVERYBODY has been invited to dinner.
Your advertising agency is eating. Your website designer is eating. Google is eating. Facebook is eating. The SEO consultant is helping himself to seconds, and the guy who sold you that fancy CRM is already asking for dessert.
Meanwhile, you're sitting at the kids' table with a paper plate, wondering why there's nothing left but cranberry sauce.
Congratulations. You're the turkey at your own marketing Thanksgiving.
Everybody Gets Paid. But Who's Bringing Home the Bacon?
Here's something I've never quite understood about the marketing industry. Businesses spend enormous amounts of money on marketing services, and somehow the people providing those services can declare victory even when the business owner isn't making any money.
Your social media manager proudly announces that your Instagram engagement increased 37%. Your SEO company reports that your website is ranking for 14 additional keywords. Your advertising agency presents a gorgeous report filled with impressions, clicks, reach, and something called "brand lift."
Everybody's smiling. Everybody's celebrating. Somebody probably deserves a trophy.
But you have one tiny, insignificant, apparently unreasonable question.
"WHERE ARE MY CUSTOMERS?"
Suddenly, the room gets very quiet.
Well, you see, marketing is a long-term investment. We're building awareness. We're nurturing engagement. We're establishing your digital footprint.
Wonderful. Can I pay my employees with digital footprints?
Your Bank Doesn't Accept Likes.
Let me be clear. Website traffic matters. Search rankings matter. Engagement matters. These things can absolutely contribute to business growth.
But they're not the finish line.
If 10,000 people visit your website and nobody buys anything, you've essentially hosted a very popular party where everyone ate your appetizers and left without saying goodbye.
And if your marketing company keeps telling you how successful the party was, perhaps it's time to ask who's paying for the shrimp cocktail.
Marketing should ultimately help produce profitable business. That doesn't mean every advertisement has to generate an immediate sale. Some purchases take time, especially when you're selling expensive products or services.
But there should be a clear connection between the activities you're paying for and the business results you're trying to achieve.
Otherwise, you're not running a marketing strategy. You're sponsoring a very elaborate arts and crafts project.
Stop Serving an All-You-Can-Eat Marketing Buffet.
Imagine opening a restaurant where customers can order anything they want, eat as much as they like, and leave without paying.
Sounds ridiculous, doesn't it?
Yet that's how some business owners manage their marketing budgets.
They approve another campaign because the agency recommends it. They buy another software subscription because somebody promises it will revolutionize their business. They redesign their website because the old one is apparently no longer sufficiently modern.
And nobody stops to ask whether any of this is producing more sales.
I'm not suggesting you fire everyone, cancel every subscription, and start marketing your business with handwritten signs taped to telephone poles.
I'm suggesting something far more radical.
START ASKING BETTER QUESTIONS.
How many qualified leads are we generating? What does it cost to acquire a customer? How many leads become actual sales? What's the average value of those customers? And which marketing activities are producing the best return?
You don't need a doctorate in mathematics to understand these numbers. You just need to care enough to look at them.
The Most Expensive Thing in Marketing Isn't Advertising.
It's advertising that doesn't lead anywhere.
It's generating leads nobody follows up with. It's driving traffic to a website that doesn't persuade visitors to take action. It's spending thousands of dollars attracting prospects while ignoring the customers who already know, like, and trust you.
And perhaps most painfully, it's continuing to pay for the same ineffective activities because everybody involved keeps telling you things are going GREAT.
At eLaunchers, we believe marketing should be designed around the entire process of turning attention into revenue. That means looking beyond clicks and impressions to examine your message, your offer, your follow-up, and the systems that help convert interested prospects into paying customers.
Because getting people to notice your business is only the beginning. Getting them to BUY is where things start getting interesting.
This Thanksgiving, Make Sure You're Actually Getting Fed.
Look, I have nothing against marketing agencies, designers, consultants, or software companies. Many of them do excellent work, and the right partners can make an enormous difference in your business.
But your marketing budget shouldn't exist primarily to keep everyone else in business.
It should help grow YOUR business.
So before you approve another campaign, sign another contract, or listen to another presentation about the incredible number of impressions your latest advertisement received, ask yourself one simple question.
"Is all this marketing actually making me money?"
If you don't know the answer, we should probably talk.
Because Thanksgiving is supposed to be a time for sharing the feast, not discovering that everyone else ate your dinner.
Go to www.meetparthiv.com and let's talk about making sure your marketing dollars are working for YOU.
To your unstoppable success,
President
eLaunchers.Com