What You Need to Get Clear on Before You Invest in Marketing
Marketing often feels like the next logical step when business isn’t growing the way you had hoped.
You think: more content = more visibility = more reach. And while it makes sense, sometimes the issue isn’t your marketing. It’s that your business isn’t quite ready for marketing yet.
And that’s okay! We just need to get your ducks in a row.
When you don’t understand what’s happening inside your business, marketing will only amplify what already exists. If there’s a lack in clarity, marketing will only make it more visible.
Before you invest time, money, or energy into marketing, there are a few foundational things you need to understand about your business first.
1. You Need to Know What You’re Actually Selling
Obvious, but it’s one of the most common gaps in small business marketing.
This isn’t just about naming your product or service. You need clarity around:
what problem it solves
why someone would choose it over another option
what outcome the customer is really paying for
If you can’t clearly articulate the value of what you offer, your marketing will feel vague or inconsistent. People don’t but the things they don’t understand.
Clarity of what you’re selling makes everything else easier.
2. You Need to Know Who It’s For (and Who It’s Not)
It’s not uncommon for a potential client to say “everyone” when I ask who their target market it. The idea is usually that reaching more people = more sales but marketing works best when it’s specific.
Before investing in marketing, you should be able to answer:
Who benefits most from what I offer?
What stage are they in when they find me?
What makes them hesitate before buying?
Who is not a good fit?
Trying to market to everyone usually results in connecting with no one. Clear audiences lead to clear messaging and with clearer messaging leads to better results.
3. You Need to Understand Why Someone Would Buy Now
This is where a lot of businesses get stuck.
It’s not enough to know who your client is. You need to understand their timing.
Ask yourself:
What problems feel urgent for them right now?
What triggers them to start looking for a solution?
What makes them decide to act instead of wait?
Marketing that doesn’t account for timing often won’t land they way it’s intended to.
4. You Need to Be Honest About What Stage Your Business Is In
Marketing looks different at different stages of business.
A new business doesn’t need the same strategy as an established one. A business still testing its offer doesn’t need to the same level of visibility as one ready to scale.
Before you invest, ask:
Am I still validating my offer?
Am I refining my process?
Am I building consistency?
Am I ready to expand and amplify?
Marketing should support you in your current stage. It shouldn’t pressure you into the next one before you’re ready.
5. You Need a Way to Measure What “Working” Means
If you don’t know what success looks like, marketing will become frustrating very fast.
Get clear on:
What outcome you’re hoping for
What would indicate progress
What you’ll pay attention to (and what you’ll ignore)
Without this clarity, it’s going to be easy to assume that the marketing “isn’t working” when it actually is, just not in the way that you expect.
6. You Need Alignment Inside Your Business First
Marketing works best when it’s aligned with:
your values
your capacity
your delivery
your customer experience
If your internal system feels chaotic, marketing may actually make things worse.
Clarity inside the business will create confidence outside of it.
Marketing Is a Multiplier, Not a Starting Point.
Marketing doesn’t create clarity for your business. It’ll reveal it.
When your business is grounded in clear offers, clear clients, and clear decisions, marketing becomes the power tool it’s meant to be. It stops feeling like a gamble and starts feeling like and extension of what already works.
If you have questions, feel free to reach out at hello@farnsworthstreet.com
I’ll see you next week and I hope you have a wonderful New Year!
🍊 L
