The design and implementation of a marketing campaign is always an exciting process for everyone involved, but it is especially exciting for small business owners who enjoy the opportunity to fully engage the creative side of their personality to bring a unique concept or idea to life. In many cases, such an opportunity often leads small business owners to experience an almost overwhelming sense of energy and enthusiasm that must be properly harnessed to ensure the best possible outcome in the creation of a new and unique marketing campaign.
Nancy of Behrman, expert marketing and public relations professional, talks about the idea of marketing with enthusiasm. Nancy says that at Behrman, “We first have to believe what we are selling before we can sell it.”
Unfettered Enthusiasm Is Undeniably Advantageous…
There is a reason so many people feel drawn to the most energetic and enthusiastic of individuals, and it is often the case that these uncommonly enthusiastic individuals possess an unyielding sense of confidence. This is especially true when these individuals have decided on a specific course of action. Successful small business owners — or professionals specializing in marketing strategies for small businesses — certainly tend to be more energetic and enthusiastic than most, which is why they also tend to be exceptionally confident as well.
These specific traits are undeniably advantageous for a variety of reasons, as a sense of enthusiasm and confidence is necessary when taking on any risk or taking a leap of faith that an untested idea or concept will be effective and ultimately contribute to the success of a small business. Although unfettered enthusiasm has its advantages when applied to a marketing campaign for a small business, there is also a significant risk that a sense of enthusiasm can quickly turn into devastating hubris.
…Yet Small Businesses Must Also Value Objective Marketing Analyses
An overly enthusiastic approach to marketing has its drawbacks, including the possibility that a small business owner’s enthusiasm for an idea might hinder his or her objectivity when analyzing the marketing campaign’s overall potential for success. The same energy and enthusiasm that served as such a powerful force during the initial stages of developing a marketing campaign can reduce the likelihood that the campaign’s weaknesses are identified and refined in a way that ensures the best possible outcome is ultimately achieved.
The question this raises is an obvious one: How can small business owners channel their energy and enthusiasm without also limiting their ability to perform an objective analysis of a marketing campaign’s strengths and weaknesses?
Striking the Ideal Balance: Leveraging Enthusiasm and Addressing Potential Weaknesses
Awareness is the key to striking an ideal balance between enthusiasm and objectivity. Small business owners and marketing professionals working with small businesses must be consciously aware of the different stages of creative development to properly channel their energy and enthusiasm without hindering objectivity. In the earliest stages of development, ample energy and enthusiasm are necessary for stimulating creativity and innovation. In the latter stages, objectivity begins to take greater precedence, so the strengths of the campaign are effectively highlighted, and the weaknesses are eliminated.
Of course, this is easier said than done. Small business owners often find it difficult to just “turn off” the energy and enthusiasm that powered an initial idea or concept, which is why working with an expert or collaborating with a team might be necessary to ensure the campaign is objectively analyzed so its weaknesses can be refined to the greatest possible degree. Striking this kind of balance between enthusiasm and objectivity is critical when it comes to implementing a truly successful marketing campaign for a small business.
About the Author
Nancy Behrman is one of the founding pioneers in the world of lifestyle brand publicity. Nancy began Behrman Communications in 1985 at just 24-years-old after an eye-opening experience at the Sarajevo Olympics, hobnobbing with journalists and athletes from around the world. Driven by a voracious passion for public relations and the will to not only succeed but to innovate, Nancy opened up shop out of her studio apartment and made industry history.
