Why Advertising Isn’t Always a Cure for the Middle-Market Blues

It’s very tempting to throw more money at the advertising gods with a desperate “Fix it!” when things aren’t going our way. When we aren’t seeing the returns or client numbers we’d like, the root of the problem usually lies much deeper than the message we’re trying to convey. The business foundation beneath the message must be solid before ad dollars can be effective.

The Allure of Advertising

Advertising is sexy. Even without Don Draper’s smoldering gaze, it would still be the most attractive part of marketing. Exceptional advertising wins awards. It offers hope of instant gratification. Done right, it brings in revenue. But advertising is hollow and useless unless there are well-communicated values and a substantial strategic plan to prop it up.

Every year, entire industries throw hundreds of billions of dollars into advertising without giving much thought to building a strong foundation for it to stand on. To be successful, your order of business should look like this:

Break It Down

A business’s goals and values provide the foundation everything else is built upon. They determine your strategic planning, which guides the customer experience. The observations you gain from customers will help you craft a message; only then can you choose the appropriate medium to get your message across.

Businesses may not win awards for their goals and values, but middle-market companies stagnate unless goals and values are clearly communicated across an organization. Whether the company’s goal is to hit $35 million in revenue, hire 50 employees, or sell 100 cars a month, how it plans to accomplish it should be deeply rooted in the values of the business.

Once you have a solid base of goals and values, your strategic plan will determine what you’re trying to get done. It will bring to light obstacles that might stand in your way so you can develop strategies to overcome them. Most importantly, your strategic plan will dictate how you treat customers.

You’re getting closer to launching that snappy ad campaign, I promise. If you pay close attention to customers, you will learn valuable insights about the world outside your doors. You’ll see what they like, what they respond positively or negatively to, and what they want for the future.

Aligning your actions, systems, policies, and procedures with customers’ needs will determine your messaging. It’s vital that the company follows through; the things you say must be anchored in actions.

Exercises in Communication

Making all employees aware of the company’s goals and values requires clear communication. Start by seeing how employees perceive things. This communication exercise represents what employees think the company’s goals are:

Draw a treasure map with an ‘X’ to indicate “You are here,” and a second ‘X’ marking “Here be the treasure.” Sketch a dotted line between the two. Ask everyone to describe these three things:

1. Where the company is today.
2. What the company looks like when it’s struck gold.
3. How long is the path between the two?

This communication exercise represents how employees and customers view the company’s values:

Ask everyone to pick three words that they feel describe the company, along with three words they think customers would use to describe it.

During both exercises, it’s critical that employees work independently so you can see where answers converge or diverge with your ideas of the company’s goals and values. It may shock you how many employees aren’t yet in tune with the foundation of the company. Use the answers you collect as troubleshooting guides to help you set the record straight and move forward together.

…And Now for That Special Message

Messaging is important — perhaps more so than ever, thanks to the ubiquity of social media and smartphones. But for marketing to be successful, you still need to have a solid foundation. There cannot be a disconnect between your message and the customer experience.

Our society is drowning in noise and mediocrity. If you can ensure that your marketing is rooted in the values the company stands for, and if you can guarantee that all employees follow systems, policies, and procedures anchored in those values with the goal of pleasing customers, then effective messaging will come easily. Start with a solid base, and the rest will stack up.

Tim Miles is the owner of The Imagination Advisory Group, a communication firm that advises owner-operated companies. He wrote a bestselling book about life and how we live it — and work and how we work it — called “Good Company.” Follow Tim’s thoughts on his daily blog, The Daily Blur.