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1.0crowdspring Bloghttps://www.crowdspring.com/blogMikehttps://www.crowdspring.com/blog/author/mike/rich600338<blockquote class="wp-embedded-content" data-secret="HpIB1NUJpM"><a href="https://www.crowdspring.com/blog/marketing-myths/">Small Business and Startups: 5 Marketing Myths</a></blockquote><iframe sandbox="allow-scripts" security="restricted" src="https://www.crowdspring.com/blog/marketing-myths/embed/#?secret=HpIB1NUJpM" width="600" height="338" title="“Small Business and Startups: 5 Marketing Myths” — crowdspring Blog" data-secret="HpIB1NUJpM" frameborder="0" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no" class="wp-embedded-content"></iframe><script type="text/javascript"> /* <![CDATA[ */ /*! This file is auto-generated */ !function(d,l){"use strict";l.querySelector&&d.addEventListener&&"undefined"!=typeof URL&&(d.wp=d.wp||{},d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage||(d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage=function(e){var t=e.data;if((t||t.secret||t.message||t.value)&&!/[^a-zA-Z0-9]/.test(t.secret)){for(var s,r,n,a=l.querySelectorAll('iframe[data-secret="'+t.secret+'"]'),o=l.querySelectorAll('blockquote[data-secret="'+t.secret+'"]'),c=new RegExp("^https?:$","i"),i=0;i<o.length;i++)o[i].style.display="none";for(i=0;i<a.length;i++)s=a[i],e.source===s.contentWindow&&(s.removeAttribute("style"),"height"===t.message?(1e3<(r=parseInt(t.value,10))?r=1e3:~~r<200&&(r=200),s.height=r):"link"===t.message&&(r=new URL(s.getAttribute("src")),n=new URL(t.value),c.test(n.protocol))&&n.host===r.host&&l.activeElement===s&&(d.top.location.href=t.value))}},d.addEventListener("message",d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage,!1),l.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded",function(){for(var e,t,s=l.querySelectorAll("iframe.wp-embedded-content"),r=0;r<s.length;r++)(t=(e=s[r]).getAttribute("data-secret"))||(t=Math.random().toString(36).substring(2,12),e.src+="#?secret="+t,e.setAttribute("data-secret",t)),e.contentWindow.postMessage({message:"ready",secret:t},"*")},!1)))}(window,document); //# sourceURL=https://www.crowdspring.com/blog/wp-includes/js/wp-embed.min.js /* ]]> */ </script> https://images.crowdspring.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/27132430/S%C3%A1mi_mythology_shaman_drum.png512679Marketing is simple right? For every dollar your company spends on it, you should see over a dollar in the sales generated in return. In other words as long as the ROI is positive any marketing effort can be considered a good effort and any effort that does not come with measurable, positive ROI should be discontinued as soon as possible. But what about efforts that are difficult or even impossible to to measure? What about marketing tactics that are designed to build awareness as opposed to sales? Should these tactics be executed even if the net cash received is less than the tactic costs? In part, it is this tension that supports the concept of the marketing mix. In other words, a solid marketing plan should include a variety of tactics some of which will drive convertible traffic to your store, your website, or your product display, as well as others those that serve simply to spread your company’s name along with the good word about who you are and what you sell. Marketing can be especially difficult for small business – budgets are small, capacity is strained, and customers can often have a difficult time perceiving the differences between your product and your competitor’s. The trick is to experiment to find what works for your business and to try lots of different things until the mix is working for you. So when you read about a famous marketer, and they insist that their way is the right way, remember to take it with a large grain of salt; what works for another company may not work for you, and vese-versa. So many of these truths about small business marketing are spouted every day and many of these ideas, some of which are commonly accepted, are downright dangerous for companies planning their own marketing strategy. Like so much in life, there is no one right way to accomplish something and every business is different and every market unique. I believe that there is only one meaningful rule in marketing: I think of it as Define, Measure, Evaluate.  In other words, define specific goals for your marketing plans and for each individual marketing tactic; gather data to measure the results; and, finally, evaluate whether the plan or tactic helped to meet the overall goal. If a strategy or tactic is working, keep going. If not kill it, move on, and try something different. Here are 5 commonly held truths about marketing and why I believe you should ignore them all: 1. Some companies don’t need to market themselves. One of the most persistent myths around marketing is that it is a luxury that can be done without, especially when times are good. True, marketing budgets can and should be fungible – sometimes a product might not need as much support as others – but this does not mean that a company or product will survive long in the market with no support whatsoever. And while you may be flying high right now, that does not give you (or your competitors) permission not..