An insight from Mary Portas got me thinking about why so many businesses believe they need marketing when the real issue often lies elsewhere. Before investing in another website, campaign or content plan, it may be worth asking a different question: where does demand actually exist?
I was reading a recent Q&A from Mary Portas when one question made me stop and think.
“Are you loved, or are you demanded?”
She was responding to the owner of an independent shop. Customers loved the business. They visited regularly, spent time there and had built relationships over many years. The challenge was that spending had declined and growth had slowed.
The owner wondered whether the answer was more products, more stock or a wider range.
Mary’s response was simple. Being liked and being needed are not the same thing.
The more I thought about it, the more I realised this isn’t just a challenge for retailers. It’s something I see across businesses of all sizes and sectors.
Many businesses have loyal customers, a good reputation and strong relationships. People genuinely like them. They recommend them. They trust them. Yet despite all of that, growth is difficult to achieve, sales are inconsistent and progress is a slog. When this happens, the natural reaction is often to look at marketing.
Business owners start asking whether they need a new website, more social media activity, better SEO, more content or more advertising. Those conversations are understandable because marketing is highly visible. When business performance isn’t where we want it to be, marketing often becomes the first thing people examine. The problem is that marketing is rarely where the issue starts.
Over the years, I’ve worked with businesses at different stages of growth and I’ve seen the same pattern repeatedly. What initially appears to be a marketing problem often turns out to be something entirely different. The business isn’t clear on its priorities. It isn’t focusing on the right opportunities. It hasn’t identified the customer groups with the greatest potential. Sometimes the market has changed while the business has carried on as though nothing has changed. In these situations, better marketing isn’t the answer. The business first needs a clearer understanding of where the opportunity actually exists.
Growth starts with demand, not marketing
That’s why I think the starting point for growth is often different from where many businesses begin.
Before discussing marketing channels, campaigns or content plans, it can be far more valuable to step back and ask some fundamental business questions.
Where is demand increasing?
What problems are customers trying to solve?
Which products or services create the most value?
What opportunities exist within the market?
What are competitors overlooking?
Where does the business have genuine strengths?
These are not marketing questions, they’re business questions, yet the answers often determine whether marketing succeeds or struggles.
Why businesses lose focus
One of the most common challenges I see in small businesses isn’t a lack of opportunity. If anything, it’s the opposite. Too many opportunities competing for attention.
New ideas emerge regularly. New services are launched. Different customer groups are pursued. Every new platform and tactic promises growth. Eventually, time, money and energy fizzle out. The business becomes busy without necessarily becoming more successful.
I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve met business owners who were working incredibly hard yet couldn’t clearly explain which customers generated the most profit, which services created the most value or where their next stage of growth was most likely to come from. This isn’t a marketing issue though, it’s a focus issue.
The businesses that grow tend to get four things right
The businesses that make the strongest progress are not always the ones doing the most marketing, they’re often the ones that have become clear on four key areas…
- They understand which opportunities are worth pursuing and which distractions need to be ignored.
- They understand which customers matter most and where demand is strongest.
- They ensure their products and services remain aligned with what customers genuinely need rather than what they’ve always offered.
- Most importantly, they make deliberate decisions about where to focus their time, money and resources.
That clarity creates focus.
Focus creates better decisions.
Better decisions create stronger foundations for growth.
Marketing works best when there’s clear direction
Only then does strategy and planning become easier. And only then does marketing become more effective because marketing works best when it’s supporting a clear direction rather than trying to create one.
A great website can’t solve a weak proposition.
More social media can’t fix a lack of focus.
More content won’t compensate for targeting the wrong audience.
Marketing is powerful, although it works best when built on strong foundations.
A different question to ask
Perhaps that’s why Mary Portas’ question has stayed with me.
It’s entirely possible for a business to be well liked and still struggle to grow. You can have loyal customers and still find yourself working harder than you should. It’s possible to invest more and more effort into marketing whilst overlooking the bigger question sitting underneath.
Where does demand actually exist?
The businesses that make the strongest progress are often the ones that understand their customers, recognise their opportunities and focus their efforts where they will have the greatest impact.
So, instead of asking…
“What marketing do we need?”
Try asking…
“What demand exists, and how well are we positioned to meet it?”
In my experience, that’s where the most valuable growth conversations start.
Ready to take a step back and look at the bigger picture?
If growth feels hard, the answer isn’t about doing more. It’s more about getting clear on where the opportunities are, who you should be focusing on and what deserves your attention next.
Sometimes the most valuable thing you can do is step back from the day-to-day activity, look at the bigger picture and make sure the business is focused on the right opportunities, customers and priorities before investing further time, money and energy into marketing.
Explore the Strategy Starter, book a Clarity Call or find out more about Mentoring to help you identify opportunities, create a practical plan and focus on what matters most.
