The marketing of your business is too important.

As a business owner, it probably feels like you have a million things to do when it comes to running your business. From making sure the utility, Internet and rent are paid on time to dealing with payroll or sending out invoices, no one said running a business was easy and you probably are nodding your head in agreement as you read this.

Of all the things business owners do to keep things running smoothly, marketing sometimes falls in the category of things to save for later. But this is not an excuse you can afford to make for your business.

Business owners have many excuses why they “choose” not to invest in marketing and twice as many who are happy that they had invested, I wanted to share the 6 Here are a few excuses you cannot afford to make regarding the marketing of your business.

We can’t afford marketing
If you are in business or if you are even thinking about starting a business, you are in a position where you can afford marketing. Many business owners and soon-to-be business owners think of marketing as something only large companies can afford. The truth of the matter is, there is a marketing plan that will give you results for any budget. Starting at the price of a lunch, you can have a lead generating campaign working for you and your business, bringing in qualified leads and new closed sales. Businesses with $250, $500 and $750 (per month) budgets have pulled in major leads and sales, giving them a return on investment hundreds of times over.

We already have enough customers or we are too busy
Business owners say this all the time, “we don’t need digital marketing, we already have too many customers,” or, “we are just too busy with all of the clients and customers… we have we can’t afford to bring on any more.” While this may sound like a very legitimate excuse, the truth usually is that no successful business owner is ever “too busy” or ever has “enough” customers. In the competitive world we live in today, you either are moving forward or falling behind. You may feel comfortable with the number of clients and customers you currently have, but if you are not doing anything to bring in new business your existing ones will eventually drop off or be stolen by one of your competitors who is marketing.

We have existing clients and don’t need to market our business
Every business needs to market themselves. Even if you have a large and loyal client base, you still need to market. Marketing can consist of growing your current client base as well as catering to the needs of your current base. Your best asset is your existing clients. Whether it be advertising additional products and services to them, or marketing to have them share your services to their friends and family, you are missing out if you are not marketing to your existing clients.

Our customers are not on the Internet
Unless your customers live on Mars, your customers are on the Internet. Regardless of age or location, everyone is using the Internet to stay in touch with friends and family, research products and services and to just socialize. Beyond just using the Internet, your customers are also using social networks including Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram to interact with those close to them. With everyone online, it is now easier than ever to target your exact customer based on their demographics, interests and more, and to bring them to your Website or through your business’s front door!

We never needed marketing… and we’re OK
Many businesses, especially those started years ago, have grown without using the Internet or digital marketing. That is great, and more props to you, but unfortunately we are not in the 90s anymore. With all of your potential customers online throughout the day, it can be hard to attract them to your business if you are not. And more important, the few competitors of yours who are advertising and marketing will reach these customers before you do. How can you bring in new clients if they can’t find you? Things aren’t the way they were before… that’s a good thing!

I do not know anything about marketing
Since you do everything for your business yourself, you may have stayed away from digital marketing because you simply don’t know enough about it. You actually are right. If you do not know much about digital marketing, you shouldn’t start running campaigns and spending advertising dollars on your own. Effective marketing is great. But if done wrong, it could yield negative results and be a waste of money.

Conclusion
There are countless excuses for why businesses don’t invest in marketing. And any excuse to not market your business is an excuse you truly can’t afford to make.

With the evolution of digital marketing, every company can afford a well-executed marketing plan that can transform your business and help it grow to levels you could only imagine before.