“In a busy marketplace, not standing out is the same as being invisible.” – Seth Godin
By Guy Whitcroft
Here’s an uncomfortable truth: while 40% of small businesses slash marketing first during tough times, 73% of those who maintain or increase their spend outperform their competitors.
But margins are tight, customers are cautious, and finance wants to know why marketing deserves any budget at all. However, the question isn’t whether you can afford to market. It’s whether you can afford not to.
Research shows that more than half the buying journey now happens before a prospect speaks to a salesperson. Your customers are researching and forming opinions about your business long before they contact you. If you’re invisible at the research stage, you’re not even in the running.
Before spending a single rand on campaigns, you need absolute clarity: Who exactly is our ideal customer? What problem do we solve, and why are we best positioned to solve it? If those answers are vague, you don’t have a marketing challenge. You have a clarity challenge. The IT channel is crowded. Differentiation isn’t optional.
Most wasted marketing spend comes from channel-audience misfits. For B2B resellers, LinkedIn consistently delivers strong ROI when you combine authority content from leadership with genuine engagement. Local tactics punch above their weight too: Google Business Profile optimisation, strategic partnerships, and referral programmes all build trust faster and cheaper than mass campaigns. The principle is simple: narrow your focus to two to four high-fit channels and execute them excellently.
Organic marketing compounds in value over time. Unlike ads that stop working when you stop paying, good content keeps attracting customers month after month. Your website is your best salesperson, working 24/7. SEO is simply about making yourself visible when potential customers search for solutions. Problem-solving articles, case studies, and FAQs all build credibility. The goal isn’t brilliance. It’s consistency.
Marketing that doesn’t lead to sales is noise. The gap between marketing and sales kills more opportunities than poor messaging. The fix starts with shared goals and metrics. Both teams should track the same KPIs: lead quality, conversion rate, Customer Acquisition Cost, and Customer Lifetime Value. A basic CRM system isn’t optional. Remember: marketing doesn’t stop at the sale. Retention and referrals often deliver better ROI than new customer acquisition.
Your website isn’t just another marketing channel. It’s the hub connecting them all. Yet too many companies neglect theirs with outdated information, broken forms, and unclear messaging. Three things matter most: control (you must own your domain and hosting), clarity (messaging must be crystal clear within five seconds), and consistency (your brand promise must align across every touchpoint).
The businesses that win aren’t those with the biggest budgets. They’re the ones with the clearest positioning, greatest consistency, and strongest conviction.
Your action plan
Clarify your positioning before spending another rand. Choose two to four high-fit channels and execute excellently. Build organic assets that compound over time. Align marketing and sales around shared goals. Optimise your website as the hub connecting everything.
Budget allocation: 65% to proven channels, 25% to brand building, 10% to experiments. Measure, review quarterly, cut what doesn’t work, and double down on what does.
The lessons I learnt in my decades of channel leadership roles, consistent brand building delivered the highest ROI. You don’t win by outspending competitors. You win by out-positioning, out-communicating, and out-lasting them.
If you’re serious about scaling your business, start by making marketing a board-level conversation. Not next year. Now.
For a more detailed look at these issues, refer to my articles:
Marketing on a Budget: How to Win More Business Without Overspending – https://businessfitness.biz/marketing-on-a-budget-small-business-marketing/
Targeted Marketing Channels: How to Make Every Dollar Count and Maximise ROI – https://businessfitness.biz/targeted-marketing-channels-sme-success/
Business Growth on a Budget: Content and SEO Strategies That Attract Customers – https://businessfitness.biz/content-and-seo-sme-marketing-communication/
Marketing to Sales Conversion: How to Turn Strategy Into Revenue Growth – https://businessfitness.biz/marketing-to-sales-conversion-guide-sme/
Your SME Website Strategy: A 24/7 Sales Engine That Can Make, Not Break, Your Business – https://businessfitness.biz/sme-website-strategy-24×7-shopfront/