Many business owners believe marketing is a relatively simple exercise and something they can, for the most part, manage on their own. They may wish to change some elements or some content on their website. Or, they may look into designing a brochure to be delivered to prospects. Or, they may look at reworking or putting together any other kind of a marketing campaign, plan, or promotion with the intention of enhancing their business.

And there is nothing wrong with a business owner managing their own marketing. That is, as long as they understand each individual piece of a promotional undertaking is actually an underlying element of a bigger plan.

This past week, I was approached by a prospect who was looking to change up his corporate website. He had spent a lot of money and a lot of time on what became four different variations of the website and still had not managed to get what he wanted. The various marketing companies he had hired had been either unwilling or unable to understand the ultimate goal of the business owner in articulating his vision and the brand of his business.

When this prospect approached me, he was understandably very frustrated. He was looking for someone to rewrite the content of his website in a way that would be more appealing to his target audience. As I explained to him, if he was simply looking for a copywriter, he could hire anyone of a number of people who would be happy to simply fill his pages with content.

I explained to him this might be a quick fix, but it is unlikely he would end up satisfied with the final product for the long-term, and he would most likely end up having to do yet another redesign and remake of his website.

Which leads me to the reason for this article today.

The unfortunate trap many business owners fall into when attempting to either do their own marketing or to approach their marketing iron with an ad hoc basis is there is a lack of the synergy between the different elements of their marketing efforts. Each piece of the advertising and promotional pieces used to make up a marketing plan and marketing campaigns are pieces of a bigger puzzle. Consider what would happen if you took one piece from five different puzzles and tried to make each of those pieces fit in a different puzzle. It wouldn’t be very pretty, and it certainly wouldn’t have the results you would hope for!

So, once again I come back to explaining there is a science to marketing. As a marketing strategist, it is my role to help the business owner see the complete picture and understand how all of the pieces fit together. In the example I have provided above, I explained to the business owner for him to end up satisfied with a website that would serve his company’s interests for the next three to five years it is imperative to understand and to develop a marketing strategy encompassing both his immediate and long-term goals. I also explained to him the best way to apply this in order to attract the proper prospects and retain his current clients.

Creating a proper marketing strategy is building the foundation of your communication and promotional efforts. This blueprint creates the framework and gives the guidance to move your business forward in a structured and measurable fashion to end up with the results you hope to achieve. Therefore, try to avoid Band-Aid marketing solutions or quick fixes if you are hoping to obtain positive measurable results.

Nancy Boisvert is the President and Marketing Director at Agapi Marketing & Consulting Ltd.