Marketing in the West Midlands is it all about perception and, or digestion?

Marketing is a word which is used to mean many things by many people.

It’s probably fair to say that there is in the business world undoubtedly not only a divide in the theory of its use - but also in the effectiveness and purpose per se.

Marketing is used to connect with businesses and consumers in the identification of a company via brand awareness as well as driving home a product or service.

The view for many small businesses is that marketing is simply a case of handing out a business card, or getting a leaflet done and either shoving it through the door or into someone’s hand, job done!

Others, such as well-established small businesses or those who have personnel with corporate-type backgrounds as well as medium and larger-sized businesses will use the phrase ‘Marketing Strategy’.

Often asking themselves “What is our marketing strategy” perhaps a blinding oblivious question to ask, but you’d be surprised by the answers.

Whether you as a business like to admit it, marketing is of paramount importance to any business if you don’t do it you can bet your bottom dollar that your competitors will be marketing themselves widely.

As a local business in the West Midlands, you need to Connect to the Marketing ethos. More so, than the ‘Connect to Hope’ or ‘Connect to a Wing and a Prayer’ strategies which many businesses adopt.

For local businesses marketing in the West Midlands is a good place to start. As any being focused as to the need for it, more so, being targeted as to the results expected and what is to be achieved overall.

Ask yourself “Is my marketing for perception?” - Making your company look bigger and better than anyone else’s or “Is it about digestion?” Sowing a seed on a product or service looking for that ultimate sale.

Marketing for perception is a wonderful thing allowing marketing companies to get all creative and artistic – but let’s not forget that if the perception given is bigger and better, then you as a business certainly need to ensure that the mechanics within the business can facilitate such a mantel.

Marketing for digestion is something different altogether….or is it?

Today we had a meeting over in Shirley, Solihull, with Edward van der Kleijn from Partnerships for Marketing, if nothing more it was a meeting to introduce ourselves to each other and explain a little about our respective businesses, what we’ve done, and are currently doing, and where we’re aiming to be.

The conversation lasted about an hour and we batted about some views which we as independent businesses hold on how marketing can be done to help locally based businesses. How social media now plays a part in the heads of many businesses although they are seemingly just going with the social media flow – not understanding the why, where and how.

Seems we’ve both experienced similar issues with many local businesses in that they all go to network meetings yet very few do anything with all the business cards and attendance lists they get. Instead deciding to focus on the one or two people they’ve met at the meeting. Failing to communicate at all with all the other businesses present whom they did not speak to.

As a local business you owe to your business to be open-minded in being able to connect to marketing in the West Midlands, gaining local awareness can go some way to springboard your business to a wider audience.