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Very often in business, I see companies with multiple products or services: one is doing really well, while another isn’t. Instead of building on the success of what is already working, they decide, “No, I want this other one to work. I want to push this one.” And they put their marketing budget into that service.
There’s nothing wrong with wanting to grow another product or service, obviously. The problem is when all of your attention and marketing budget shift away from what is already successful. It is almost always cheaper to market a new product by building off the existing one than trying to make it succeed as a completely standalone initiative.
When you create marketing campaigns, don’t isolate your products. Don’t think every campaign has to stand on its own. Products and services should support each other.
I understand why businesses often separate their marketing budgets. It’s easier to track performance when one budget is assigned to one service and another budget to another. That’s a good place to start. But when you’re analyzing results, always keep the bigger picture in mind.
There is almost always an indirect advertising correlation. One campaign may not generate immediate sales for the product you’re promoting, but it may increase awareness, trust, or demand for another service. You want to recognize that indirect impact and maximize it.
Think about retail. Many stores use loss leaders. They intentionally make very little (or even lose money) on certain products because those products bring customers into the store where they purchase higher-value items. Your products and services should work the same way. Always create ties between your offerings. Build cross-selling opportunities into your customer journey. Even if the service you’re trying to grow doesn’t immediately take off, it should still help sell the products and services that are already in demand and, often, have higher value.
Fresh Take to Try
One of the best places to start is by reviewing your customer journey. Look at every step from the moment someone lands on your website to the moment they become a customer, and even after they become one.
Capture email addresses where it makes sense. Segment your email list based on where people are in their journey so the content they receive is purposeful and useful.
The Cucumber Way
This is one of the reasons I believe email marketing is one of the most underutilized marketing platforms today.
Marketing goes through waves and trends. Ten or fifteen years ago, everyone was talking about email marketing. Today, it feels like everything is about social media. But if everyone is on social media, you’re competing for the same attention. That competition drives up the cost of advertising. Instead, use social media to bring people to your website. Then invite them to join your email list. Once they’re there, you can provide content that is tailored to where they are in their customer journey.
Yes, your email list might be much smaller than the number of impressions or views you receive on social media. That’s okay. You don’t need a huge list, especially when you’re starting a new initiative like email marketing. Sometimes you only need a few quality conversions to create meaningful results. Always lean into quality, and don’t shy away from small numbers.
Do something different.
At Cucumber Marketing, that’s one of the reasons we’re called Cucumber Marketing. We believe in thinking differently instead of following what everyone else is doing. Rather than fighting for people’s attention where everyone else is competing, be intentional about your customers. Focus on their experience. Focus on their journey. And grow.