In recent months, quite a few companies have shared with us that their business is thriving so they don’t need marketing support. They’re flat out right now, so marketing is the last thing they’re thinking about.
If this resonates with you, then I’m so pleased to hear you’re busy. And I get it. When your calendar is packed and your team is working their socks off, marketing feels like an unnecessary distraction. It will be something to look at if and when things slow down.
But here’s the hard truth: if you only think about marketing when you’re not busy, you’re already behind. This mindset is not only short sighted, but it’s also highly risky. And over time, it can cost you serious growth.
Being Busy Isn’t a Strategy
Right now, you’re busy. That’s great. But have you ever asked yourself what’s driving that busyness?
If your current flow of work is coming from word of mouth, referrals, or a few major clients, that can create a false sense of security. You can fall into the trap of believing you’ve got a thriving business, but actually your business is sitting on a major vulnerability that could crack at any moment.
And I’ve seen this vulnerability crack more than once.
What happens when that one big project wraps up? Or a long standing client moves on? Anything can happen at any time. If you haven’t built a consistent, reliable marketing engine, you’re always just reacting to circumstances rather than proactively shaping your future. It comes down to the fact that you’re not in control.
Being busy is not the same as being strategic. Without strategy, you’re just running on a treadmill. It might seem like you’re going at a million miles per hour, but ultimately you’re going nowhere.
In Control
People often mistake marketing as something that will add to your workload. But in reality, strategic marketing does the opposite: it helps you focus, streamline and scale.
Done properly, marketing isn’t about simple lead generation. It’s about:
- Attracting the right clients who align with your values and pay what you’re worth
- Positioning your business so you’re not just another option, you’re the obvious one
- Filtering out time wasters before they ever hit your inbox
- Building brand equity so that trust is already established before the first conversation
When you’re “too busy for marketing,” you’re not focused. You can easily make the wrong decisions, and you’re not behind the wheel of your own business. It’s more like a rollercoaster, where you’re swept along with the twists and turns, and it might feel like a rush, but you’re just along for the ride instead of being the one at the front pushing all the buttons.
Sustainable Growth
For many businesses, especially in the early days, a lot of growth can come from referrals or repeat business. And if this is the case for you, then that’s amazing news. It’s a testament to the quality of your work. But while it’s certainly something to feel proud of, it’s not a sustainable growth strategy.
We’ve seem time and time again when word of mouth dries up and then businesses panic. They turn to rushed marketing, reactive content, ad hoc posting and quick fix lead generation campaigns in a desperate bid to plug the gap. But by the time you’re panicking, the damage is already done.
This cycle of feast and famine is avoidable. But only if you start thinking long term. Strategic marketing takes time to work. But once it does, it builds momentum that lasts.
Marketing isn’t about getting in leads or not. It’s about establishing your business properly so you can manage it in the way you want.
That might include:
- Clarifying your brand positioning so you stand out in your market
- Creating messaging that speaks directly to your clients
- Building content that resonates
- Developing a lead flow process that supports your sales team instead of overwhelming them
If you wait until you need marketing, you’ve already lost valuable time.
If you’re busy, that’s exactly why you should invest in strategy now. Not because you’re desperate, but because you’re serious about building a business that lasts.
We help ambitious companies take a long term view, so they seal the cracks in their business and secure their future without worry.
If you’d like to explore what this could look like for you, then we’d love to have a chat. Why not book in a short meeting to explore how marketing could help you in ways you never imagined?
