Are You A Marketing “Inbetweener”?

This article explores the phenomenon of the marketing inbetweener.  This refers to those companies who want to market themselves better but don’t want to invest significantly in the “dark art” that is marketing.

Understanding the Marketing “Inbetweener” Phenomenon

Many small and medium-sized businesses find themselves in a peculiar position when it comes to marketing. They recognise the importance of marketing but hesitate to fully commit to a structured strategic approach. 

These businesses often fall into the category of marketing inbetweeners, companies that attempt marketing in a fragmented, inconsistent manner, lacking the clarity and expertise needed for measurable success. Such practices can result in wasted resources, ineffective campaigns, and a failure to generate meaningful return on investment (ROI).

A marketing inbetweener faces several challenges. They may see marketing as an expense rather than an investment, delegate marketing tasks to underqualified employees, or rely on sporadic marketing efforts that fail to yield long-term growth. 

Without a clear and focused strategy, marketing efforts often become disjointed, leading to inconsistent messaging, weak brand presence, and missed opportunities for customer engagement.

The absence of a structured marketing plan also makes it difficult to monitor performance and optimise campaigns for better results.

Understanding the critical role marketing plays in business success, the risks of being a marketing inbetweener, and the steps businesses can take to transition towards a structured and results-driven marketing strategy is crucial. 

Businesses need to transition from being stuck in the “in-between” phase to achieving sustained growth and profitability through well-planned marketing efforts. This transition can be accomplished by understanding the implications of an ineffective marketing approach and taking proactive steps to address these challenges.

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Opportunity Marketing Consultant helps businesses transition from being marketing “inbetweeners” to having a structured, results-driven marketing strategy. We make sure that businesses make thoughtful investments in marketing efforts that drive growth and profitability by providing expert consultancy, individualised marketing plans, and hands-on mentoring. Whether through strategic guidance, outsourced marketing support, or training programmes, we equip businesses with the tools and expertise needed to achieve consistent brand visibility, greater customer engagement, and measurable ROI. Contact Us: 0333 320 4108 or info@opportunitymarketing.co.uk

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The Critical Role of Marketing in Business Growth

Why Marketing is Essential for Business Success

Marketing is the engine that drives customer acquisition, brand visibility, and revenue growth. Without it, businesses struggle to attract and retain customers, no matter how excellent their product or service may be. A strong marketing strategy ensures a steady flow of leads, enhances brand credibility, and creates competitive differentiation. 

Establishing a brand’s presence in the market, assisting in the communication of value propositions to the appropriate audience, and ensuring that businesses remain at the forefront of the minds of prospective customers are all benefits of this strategy.

Beyond customer acquisition, marketing plays a crucial role in customer retention by fostering relationships, maintaining engagement, and building brand loyalty. Businesses that invest in marketing see higher customer lifetime value (CLV), increased referrals, and greater advocacy.

Businesses that do not have a clearly defined marketing strategy run the risk of falling behind those who actively engage their audiences in this digital age, where consumer behaviour is influenced by online research, social media, and digital content.

Marketing as an Investment vs. an Expense

One of the fundamental mistakes businesses make is viewing marketing as a cost rather than an investment. When approached strategically, marketing delivers measurable returns through increased sales, customer loyalty, and brand recognition. 

A well-structured marketing plan aligns with business objectives, ensuring that every pound spent contributes to long-term profitability. Businesses that treat marketing as an investment allocate resources to the right areas, track performance metrics, and continuously refine their approaches to maximise ROI.

Investing in marketing also helps businesses future-proof their operations. In unpredictable markets, those with a strong brand presence and established marketing channels are better positioned to adapt to changes and maintain stability. 

Companies that consistently invest in marketing are also more likely to attract high-quality talent, build industry authority, and expand into new markets effectively.

The Risks of Underinvesting in Marketing

Many businesses that hesitate to invest in marketing find themselves falling behind competitors. Underinvesting leads to inconsistent messaging, missed opportunities, and an inability to scale effectively. Without a strategic approach, businesses risk wasting resources on scattered, uncoordinated marketing efforts that fail to generate meaningful results. Businesses that fail to market themselves proactively may struggle with brand awareness, making it harder to gain customer trust and credibility.

A lack of investment in marketing can also lead to reactive rather than proactive business growth. There is a possibility that businesses that rely solely on word-of-mouth referrals or occasional promotions will experience unexpected revenue streams.

On the other hand, businesses that make a commitment to structured marketing strategies are able to construct growth models that are both predictable and scalable, which guarantees their long-term viability and relevance in the market.

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When Should a Business Invest in Marketing?

Marketing from the Start: Building Brand Presence

From the moment a business is launched, marketing should be a priority. Establishing a strong brand identity, digital presence, and customer engagement strategy early on sets the foundation for future growth. 

Startups should focus on essential activities such as website development, social media engagement, and networking to attract their first customers. A strong marketing presence ensures that potential customers can easily find, understand, and trust the brand, setting the stage for sustained business success.

Many businesses wait too long to prioritise marketing, assuming that only quality products and services will attract customers. Without a proactive approach, businesses risk being overshadowed by competitors who invest in brand positioning and customer outreach. 

Even if a business has limited funds in its early stages, strategic marketing efforts such as content marketing, SEO, and networking can provide cost-effective ways to gain visibility and establish credibility in the market.

Recognising the Signs of Marketing Stagnation

Many businesses begin with organic marketing efforts but eventually hit a plateau. They might struggle to attract new customers, notice diminishing returns from previous marketing activities, or experience inconsistent revenue growth. These are clear signs that it’s time to transition from ad-hoc marketing to a structured and strategic approach. 

A business that fails to evolve its marketing strategy often finds itself in a cycle of repeated efforts with little improvement in results.

Marketing stagnation can manifest in several ways, such as declining engagement rates, low conversion rates, or a lack of differentiation from competitors. If a business is relying on the same marketing tactics without seeing progress, it may need to revisit its strategy, invest in market research, and explore new channels to engage its audience effectively.

The Transition to a Structured Marketing Strategy

Businesses that want to scale need to move beyond random marketing efforts and implement a clear, data-driven strategy. This strategy involves setting defined marketing objectives, allocating a proper budget, and investing in expertise, whether through hiring in-house talent, outsourcing to a consultant, or investing in training. A structured marketing approach also requires businesses to adopt a long-term mindset, recognising that consistency, testing, and optimisation are essential for sustainability.

Transitioning to a structured marketing strategy also involves integrating marketing with other business functions. A marketing plan should align with sales, customer service, and operations to create a cohesive brand experience. Businesses that treat marketing as an isolated function risk missing out on valuable synergies that can enhance customer experience and drive higher revenue.

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Defining the Marketing “Inbetweener”

What is a marketing inbetweener?

A marketing inbetweener is a business that dabbles in marketing but lacks a strategic, long-term approach. These businesses may recognise the importance of marketing but fail to devote the necessary resources to its success. Their marketing efforts are often reactive rather than proactive, and they have no clear plan for measuring success or optimising performance.

Marketing inbetweeners often find themselves in a state of uncertainty. They may try different marketing tactics without a clear strategy, leading to inconsistent brand messaging and wasted budget. Without a structured plan, they struggle to achieve meaningful results and may feel frustrated by their inability to generate leads or increase revenue.

The Two Most Common Approaches

Businesses that fall into the marketing inbetweener category typically adopt one of two approaches:

1. Assigning marketing responsibilities to an employee with no formal marketing training – This scenario is often an office manager, sales team member, or admin assistant who juggles marketing with other responsibilities. While these individuals may have a basic understanding of marketing tools, they lack the expertise required to develop and execute a comprehensive strategy.
2. Hiring a hybrid role where marketing is only one of many tasks – These employees might handle a mix of sales, operations, customer service, and marketing, leading to diluted efforts and inconsistent execution. When marketing is treated as a secondary responsibility, it often receives minimal attention, resulting in ineffective campaigns and poor brand visibility.

Why This Approach Creates Inefficiencies

Lack of strategic planning leads to reactive rather than proactive marketing. Businesses often execute campaigns without a long-term vision, leading to inconsistent messaging and weak branding.

Inexperienced marketing execution results in suboptimal ROI. Without proper training, employees may struggle to create effective content, manage digital advertising, or engage audiences in meaningful ways.

Marketing becomes fragmented, with no cohesive messaging or long-term vision. Without a dedicated professional overseeing the strategy, businesses risk creating disjointed campaigns that fail to resonate with their target audience.

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The Pitfalls of Being a Marketing Inbetweener

Lack of Marketing Expertise

Marketing is a specialised field that requires a profound understanding of branding, messaging, customer psychology, digital trends, and analytics. Businesses that assign marketing to untrained staff often find their efforts lacking in strategy, effectiveness, and consistency.

Marketing professionals spend years honing their skills in areas such as market research, customer behaviour analysis, SEO, content marketing, and advertising optimisation. Without this expertise, businesses risk implementing ineffective tactics that fail to generate tangible results.

A lack of expertise also means businesses struggle to differentiate themselves in competitive markets. Marketing goes beyond creating social media posts or running occasional promotions; the process involves crafting a unique value proposition, positioning the business effectively, and consistently reinforcing the brand’s message.

Without a knowledgeable marketing professional, businesses often succumb to generic messaging, which hinders their ability to connect with their ideal customers.

Poor Allocation of Resources

Without a clear marketing strategy, businesses end up investing in the wrong areas. This scenario includes spending money on ineffective advertising, poorly targeted campaigns, or underutilised marketing tools that fail to generate returns. Many businesses make the mistake of chasing trends without evaluating their relevance to their audience or goals. 

For example, a company may invest heavily in paid social media advertising without first developing a strong brand identity or website that converts visitors into customers.

Another common resource misallocation is underinvesting in marketing technology and analytics. Businesses that lack proper tracking tools struggle to measure the success of their campaigns, which makes it difficult to optimise performance and improve ROI. 

Companies that fail to allocate resources effectively often find themselves in a cycle of repeated marketing failures, leading to frustration and wasted budgets.

Inconsistent Marketing Execution

Marketing inbetweeners often start campaigns but fail to sustain them. Inconsistency in branding, messaging, and customer engagement weakens the impact of marketing efforts, making it harder to build a recognised brand. A business might launch a new website, post content for a few months, and then abandon these efforts due to a lack of immediate results. This stop-start approach confuses potential customers and damages trust and credibility.

Consistency in marketing is crucial because customers require multiple touchpoints before making a purchase decision. If a business suddenly stops advertising, blogging, or engaging on social media, it loses momentum, and potential customers may turn to competitors who maintain a continuous presence. A structured marketing plan ensures regular engagement, helping businesses build brand recognition and nurture leads more effectively.

Failure to Measure and Optimise

Marketing without tracking performance is like driving without a map. Many businesses engage in marketing activities without monitoring key performance indicators (KPIs), resulting in their inability to optimise efforts for better results. Without data, businesses operate on guesswork, making it difficult to determine which strategies are working and which need adjustment.

Key marketing metrics such as customer acquisition cost (CAC), return on ad spend (ROAS), conversion rates, and engagement levels help businesses refine their approach. Businesses that fail to measure and optimise their marketing efforts miss out on opportunities to improve efficiency, reduce costs, and enhance customer engagement.

Businesses that disregard analytics run the risk of losing their competitive advantage in the current digital landscape, which places a significant emphasis on making decisions based on specific data.

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Recognising If You Are a Marketing Inbetweener

Key Signs Your Business Falls Into This Category

Many businesses are unaware that they are in the intermediate stage of marketing. Identifying these signs is the first step toward making improvements. If your business exhibits any of the following traits, it may be time to reconsider your marketing approach:

• Marketing is handled internally, but it is not a core focus. Your team lacks a dedicated marketing professional, and marketing tasks are treated as an afterthought.
• Marketing efforts lack clear goals, strategy, or tracking. Campaigns are launched without a well-defined plan, and there is no way to measure their success.
• You are not generating a consistent return on marketing investment. Marketing spend does not correlate with increased revenue, customer acquisition, or brand growth.
• You have a marketing budget but no strategic plan guiding its use. Money is being spent on various activities, but there is no structured approach to ensure alignment with business objectives.

Self-Assessment: Is Your Business Stuck?

If your business is experiencing stagnant growth, low brand awareness, or inconsistent customer engagement, you may be operating as a marketing inbetweener. Conducting a self-assessment can help determine whether your marketing strategy is fragmented or lacking a clear direction.

Ask yourself:

• Do I have a documented marketing strategy that aligns with my business goals?
• Am I measuring the performance of my marketing activities?
• Is my brand messaging consistent across all platforms?
• Do I have the necessary expertise to execute marketing effectively?
• Am I allocating my marketing budget in a way that generates measurable returns?

If the answer to any of these questions is no, then it is time to take action and transition to a more structured marketing approach.

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How to Transition Out of the Inbetweener Stage

Option 1: Hire a Dedicated Marketing Manager

Employing an experienced marketing manager ensures a strategic and professional approach. While this approach requires a higher financial investment, it brings expertise and accountability. A dedicated marketing manager can develop a cohesive strategy, oversee campaigns, and make data-driven decisions to improve performance.

Having an in-house marketing expert also ensures that marketing efforts are aligned with the company’s long-term goals. Unlike ad-hoc marketing efforts, a dedicated marketing professional can implement a structured content strategy, manage advertising budgets effectively, and drive customer engagement through multiple channels.

Option 2: Work with an Outsourced Marketing Consultant

Hiring a consultant allows businesses to access senior-level marketing expertise without the cost of a full-time employee. Consultants provide strategic direction, campaign management, and performance optimisation. The service is particularly beneficial for SMEs that do not have the budget to hire an internal marketing team but still require professional guidance.

An outsourced marketing consultant can offer an unbiased perspective, identifying gaps in a company’s marketing approach and recommending tailored strategies for improvement. When businesses take advantage of the expertise of third parties, they are able to steer clear of typical pitfalls and arrive at well-informed marketing decisions that result in sustainable growth.

Option 3: Invest in Marketing Mentoring

For businesses that want to upskill internal staff, marketing mentoring provides expert guidance, helping employees develop the necessary skills to execute marketing effectively. This approach is ideal for businesses that have a junior marketing assistant but lack senior-level oversight.

Marketing mentorship can take various forms, including one-on-one coaching, group workshops, or structured training programs. Businesses are able to improve their internal marketing capabilities and reduce their reliance on external agencies if they provide their employees with marketing knowledge and best practices.

Option 4: Enrol in Marketing Training

Structured online courses can equip employees with essential marketing skills, improve their in-house expertise, and ensure that marketing efforts are strategically aligned. Many businesses benefit from marketing training programs that cover topics such as digital marketing, content strategies, social media advertising, and analytics.

Investing in marketing training enables businesses to develop a strong marketing foundation, ensuring that employees have the knowledge and confidence to execute campaigns effectively. Many reputable marketing courses also provide practical case studies and actionable insights that can be directly applied to a company’s marketing strategy.

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Financial Considerations: Finding the Right Investment Level

Weighing the Costs of Different Approaches

Businesses often hesitate to invest in marketing due to cost concerns. However, when evaluating different marketing approaches, it is essential to consider the long-term benefits:

• Hiring a marketing manager: Higher salary costs but long-term expertise that leads to sustained growth.
• Outsourcing to a consultant: Flexible and cost-effective, providing strategic insights without long-term commitment.
• Investing in training: Builds internal capabilities, ensuring sustained marketing effectiveness at a lower cost than hiring.

Calculating Long-Term Gains

A business that shifts from in-between marketing to a structured approach will see improved lead generation, better customer engagement, and a higher return on marketing investment. Increasing revenue, improving brand visibility, and reducing inefficiencies are all things that can be accomplished by businesses through the implementation of a marketing strategy that is clearly defined.

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The Importance of Commitment to Marketing Strategy

Marketing success requires long-term commitment. Companies that disregard marketing will find it difficult to achieve consistent growth. Aligning marketing efforts with business goals, tracking performance, and continuously refining strategy ensures lasting success.

Moving Beyond the Marketing Inbetweener Mindset

To break free from the marketing intermediary stage, businesses must recognise marketing as a core function, not just an operational task. Taking decisive action, whether through hiring, outsourcing, or upskilling, will enable businesses to develop a clear, structured, and results-driven marketing strategy.