If Your Car Breaks Down, Does it Need a Paint Job?

At this point do you think your response to the mechanic would be "Ok, I think I'll just get a paint job."

I feel certain the mechanic, your spouse, friends and coworkers would all look at you like you're crazy.

Just a paint job? Is that going to fix your problem – to make your car look better?

Obviously not.

The same principle applies to your business or the company you work for. Hopefully your business isn’t broken. Most likely you’re just looking to grow, launch a new product or open a new location. Or maybe your sales have been declining and you need to find a way to turn it around. If you need help (your car is broken down), changing how something looks doesn’t seem like a viable solution.

This analogy comparing marketing to a car’s engine holds true considering how it drives sales, growth and positioning for the future. If you have made it to a point where you know you need to do something different, or you hold big plans for your business, revving up your marketing is the way to do it.

But what does that mean?

It means developing a strategy for marketing your company, product, service or new location. If you don’t already, you need to understand your company’s brand and how that impacts your marketing – I cannot stress enough how critical this is. It means working with a person or strategic partner who understands your company and  goals...someone who has the experience to recommend the right strategy and execute it. Depending on your situation, execution could mean anything — advertising, website development, video production, social media, public relations, SEO/SEM, business consulting, e-commerce, geolocation marketing and many more. Most of the time a successful marketing strategy employs several (or many) of these areas depending on the complexity of the company’s situation.

Herein lies the problem of just getting a paint job. While it may make your car (company) look better, it isn’t really going to make your business perform at the high level you want. And, without a clear understanding of your brand identity, including your brand attributes, how do you know if the paint job is even the right color?

Your company’s future is too important to settle for a paint job. Get a new engine. Get real marketing help designed exclusively for your business, and then sit back and watch as you experience real results.