Lately I’ve been working with a number of clients facing marketing challenges. These business owners are great at what they do and are experts in their industries, but they have trouble communicating that expertise to potential customers. One of the most popular business clichés is that owners “must wear several hats.” Unfortunately, many business owners find the marketing hat ill-fitting, uncomfortable, and difficult to pull off. They toss the marketing hat deep into the back of their closet and focus on being the best in their primary industry. Commendable it is, but ultimately this can lead to business destruction.

So what should you do if you are lost in the marketing forest?

First, acknowledge marketing is necessary. You must spread the word about your business in order for it to maintain its current success and future growth. Without marketing the best you can do is maintain the status quo and even that might be impossible.

Second, objectively decide if marketing is DIY for your business. Evaluate your current workload, your professional and personal schedules, your business goals, and your marketing experience when making this decision. Every business owner is different, so you need a firm grasp of what is possible and what is a pipe dream.

Once you know if you are going to take on the marketing challenge on your own or not, move forward with action. If you choose DIY and you have marketing experience, create a detailed plan for your business. If DIY is your choice, but you lack experience, now is the time to learn at least basic marketing tips and tricks. If outsourcing marketing efforts is the best option for your business, begin your search for support. You might not be ready to enact a full-throttle marketing plan immediately, but you must take action on determining how to develop your marketing plan as soon as possible.

There are several industries prone to marketing challenges. Whether you own a business related to one of these industries or you are concerned about marketing your business, working with a marketing professional can help. Marketing support is affordable, easy to find, and effective for growing your business.

Do you struggle with marketing? Have you found one method more successful than others? Do you think your industry needs to focus more on selling itself? I’m going to share a little more about marketing in one of the industries that seems to struggle most in the coming days in conjunction with another project I’m working on. Let me know your thoughts about marketing and how you think it helps your business.