When I meet with clients or potential clients, I talk to them about the importance of telling their story. People usually like to hear a story – the trials, the triumphs, the successes, the failures. We learn from stories and can gain a deeper understanding through them. There is something about telling your story that captivates people.

I myself often tell the story of inspire marketing. Whether in client meetings, at networking events, or as I meet new potential clients, I like to share the vision behind inspire marketing. So I thought I would share our story in a blog post to help others see the value in telling their story.

The idea for inspire marketing was born out of my regular every-day working experiences and my observations of businesses I came in contact with.  I knew that every business needed marketing to succeed long-term, and yet there were many businesses that did not have a marketing effort in place. For many of these businesses, an internal marketing department was not feasible.  They simply did not yet have the revenue to justify even one full-time marketing expert.  Some of these businesses would choose to work with an advertising agency, which would enable them to complete some marketing projects (websites, brochures, mailings, etc.).  However, these are mere tactics, which when done without an overall strategy to drive and unify them, are usually disjointed and ineffectual.

I realized that what these businesses really needed was a fraction of a full-time marketing manager.  They couldn’t afford a full-time one nor did they really need one; yet they needed someone who would be fully committed to the marketing of that business for a few hours a day, a few hours a week, or a few hours a month, according to the needs of the business.  inspire marketing fills this need for businesses in this situation.

I consider myself a part of each of the businesses that I take on as a client.  I get to know their products and their employees.  I learn about their customers and their competitors.  I help them set goals, decide on strategies, and execute plans.  I get excited when my clients are flourishing, and I take them back to the drawing board when sales start to lag.  This is one of the best parts of my job – that I get to make some great companies even better!

There you have a little bit about the inspiration for inspire marketing and the niche we are filling in the marketplace.  That’s my story.  What’s yours?