Many business owners understand the correlation between a strong marketing strategy and sales. But have you ever stopped to consider how vital marketing is in business development?

A solid marketing strategy can act as nutrient-dense soil and accelerate your business’s growth. It can also help increase brand awareness and drive sales.

The good news is there are plenty of ways to integrate marketing and business development strategies.

Defining Marketing and Business Development

Marketing and business development are two sides of the same coin - both strive to grow a business. So what does each term mean, and how can you use both to increase your profitability? In short, marketing promotes products or services to customers. As a result, marketing focuses on customer-facing activities.

On the other hand, business development involves formulating strategies to ensure your business stays profitable. These strategies will help you expand your operations, develop new partnerships, and diversify your services if implemented well. In addition, business development looks at understanding your market, seeking prospective clients and building long-term relationships with partners.

Using Marketing and Business Development in Tandem

Using marketing and business development in tandem is a powerful tool. Ultimately, combining these two strategies will help you successfully develop a plan, capture market share and stand out amongst your competitors.

For example, with marketing and business goals in mind, you can analyse what your customers are looking for and tap into emerging trends that could generate more interest and activity. Having your finger on the pulse of current trends will also open up a world of new possibilities for both departments. As a result, your campaigns will be more successful, and your partnerships will be more strategic. By working together, marketing and business development become more than just methods for achieving desired results. They create synergies around crucial topics that can drive the company forward.

Our Two-Pronged Approach

Both approaches ensure your brand messaging stays consistent and resonates across multiple channels. But does your digital content really resonate with your target audience? Will prospects recognise your content at first glance? These questions are essential when planning your marketing strategy.

To produce campaigns that complement your business development efforts, you must ensure your content covers all bases. You want to entice customers whilst highlighting your services and allowing you to build relationships with potential clients before they have even contacted your team.

As a marketing agency, it is no surprise that content and social strategy are the fibre of our business. However, we also have a hyper-focused business development arm to supplement these efforts. Dividing our attention and spinning plates, we ensure to plan and target strategic partners and are always looking to build and strengthen relationships. With this dual marketing and business development approach, we’ve been able to nurture a solid customer base that continues to grow every year – giving us the confidence to continue pushing for innovative ways of connecting with potential buyers.

Ready to learn more? We're always happy to chat about marketing, and our team can help you create a customised plan that fits your specific needs and budget.