If you're like most small business owners, marketing always feels like just another task on your already long to-do list (and it’s usually close to the bottom). The truth is though, marketing is the lifeblood of your business in more ways than one. Whether you’re trying to grow your brand, increase revenue, or better understand your customers, marketing is the key that ties it all together.

We know marketing can feel overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be. With the right strategy—and the right tools, (like Enji’s marketing strategy generator)—you can simplify your approach and start seeing real results. Let’s dive into the nine big reasons why marketing is important so you can really understand how prioritizing your marketing this year can really transform your business.

Here’s a snapshot of what we will cover:

• The cost of NOT marketing
• Marketing builds brand awareness
• Marketing drives more revenue
• Marketing helps you understand your customers
• Marketing is how you educate your customers
• Marketing fosters customer relationships
• Marketing gives you a competitive edge
• Marketing helps people refer you 
• Marketing keeps you top of mind 
• Marketing makes you better at marketing (you don’t get better at marketing by thinking about marketing)

Sounds pretty great, right?

The Cost of NOT Marketing

Not to start with the negatives, but it’s important to understand what’s at stake if you ignore your marketing. Sure, you can operate your business for a while based off of word-of-mouth and organic referrals, but eventually? That pool is going to be tapped out (at the worst time and likely without warning).

But it’s not all bad news. Now that we’ve scared you, it’s time for some encouragement: it’s easier to keep going than it is to get started. 

We bet you’ve probably been able to get consistent with your marketing in the past only to stop when all of your other work piled up. Ultimately, those stops and starts are what burn you out, but staying consistent can help make it a less-stressful part of your overall routine. 

Here are 9 more reasons why marketing should be (closer to) the top of your to-do list this year.

1. Marketing Builds Brand Awareness

The most basic function of marketing? Making sure people know you exist. You could have the best product or service in the world, but if no one knows about it, how will they buy from you?

Marketing is the key to making sure people not only find you, but also keep your business top of mind. It does that by:

• Getting your business in front of a wider audience through channels like social media, email, and ads.
• Increasing visibility by consistently showing up in your customers’ feeds, inboxes, or even their mailbox (yup—way more than once).
• Building familiarity, so people recognize your brand over time and begin to trust it enough to want what you have to offer, and buy what you’re selling.

TL;DR: It’s not enough to just be great at what you do—you need to let people know. That’s why brand awareness is a critical piece of why marketing is important. Without it, your business stays invisible, and invisible businesses don’t grow.

2. Marketing Drives Revenue

You guessed it—no marketing, no sales. It’s as simple as that. Marketing is what feeds the top of your sales funnel. Without a steady stream of people learning about your business, it’s really hard to make sales.

We’ve already talked about how marketing keeps your business visible and keeps you top of mind for potential customers. But here’s a fact many business owners don’t realize—you need to remind people a lot before they buy. 

On average, it takes multiple touchpoints for a customer to make a purchasing decision (it used to be 7, but now it’s waaaay more than that). So if you’re only posting or running ads sporadically, you’re missing out on (almost all of your) potential sales.

Marketing is important because it drives the awareness and trust needed for customers to feel confident enough to buy from you. You can’t sell what people don’t know about—and marketing bridges that gap.

With Enji’s marketing tools, you can create a plan that consistently brings your business in front of customers, keeping that funnel full. The more you market, the more sales opportunities you generate—and I know we don’t have to tell you that that’s the most important thing you need to keep your business thriving.

3. Marketing Helps You Understand Your Customers

One of the less obvious but super important reasons why marketing is important is that it helps you get to know your customers. Through consistent marketing efforts, you start to gather insights about what they want, what they need, and what makes them engage with your brand. Especially on social media, because when you talk to them, they talk back! Mostly in a good way 😉

To better understand your customers, marketing helps you:

• Gather feedback through social media engagement, email responses, and customer surveys
• Track key metrics like engagement rates, website visits, and email opens, so you know what’s working and getting people’s attention. To make this easy, Enji’s KPI dashboard helps you track these metrics and understand what’s resonating with your audience
• See patterns in customer behavior, allowing you to refine your product or services based on their needs (or at the very least, adjust your messaging to help them understand why they need what you are offering)

The more communication you have with your audience—whether through email, social media comments, or even interviews and surveys—the better you understand them. 

When we started Enji, we made sure to have as many conversations as possible with potential customers (and we still do!). Every conversation we had helped us shape the product into what it is today. We didn’t just guess at what you wanted—we listened to you.

4. Marketing is How You Educate Your Customers

Customers won’t buy what they don’t understand. That’s why education is a major part of why marketing is important. Whether you’re explaining how your product works, showing the benefits of your service, or debunking myths about your industry, your marketing is what teaches your audience why they want/need what you’re selling.

And when we say that, it’s worth saying this too: marketing isn’t just about pushing a product. You need to make sure you’re telling a story that both resonates and answers the key question every potential customer has: “What’s in it for me?”

Plus, when you provide value and information through your marketing, you build trust with your audience. You become the go-to resource in your niche, which makes them more likely to turn to you when they’re ready to buy. 

Do you ever wish your customers knew something before they hired you/bought from you? Marketing is your chance to tell them!

Whether it's through blog posts, webinars, or simple social media tips, your marketing educates your customers and leads them down the path to purchase. It also sets expectations upfront so that you have happy customers once they do!

5. Marketing Fosters Customer Relationships

While we’d love to check something, anything, off our to-do list as small business owners, marketing isn’t a one-time thing—it’s an ongoing conversation. That means that it’s never done (sorry, not sorry). Because the more you interact with your audience, the more you build a community of loyal customers who cheer you on and support your business by repeatedly buying and sharing with their friends. 

In other words, marketing grows those relationships that turn first-time buyers into repeat customers and even brand advocates.

Plus, your marketing keeps your customers in the loop, whether it’s through newsletters, social media posts, or even just a quick thank-you email after a purchase. These seemingly small gestures go a long way in building trust and loyalty.

And to be honest? One of the most rewarding parts of running Enji has been seeing how our customers root for us and continue to spread the word about what we do. That kind of customer love doesn’t happen by accident—it happens because of consistent, thoughtful marketing that shows people we care.

6. Marketing Gives You a Competitive Edge

Next on the list of reasons why marketing is important? It gives you a competitive edge.

Keep in mind, other business owners feel just like you—we’re all burnt out and overloaded! That means that the majority of your (small business) competition probably isn’t spending a ton of time on their marketing either. That’s why it’s the perfect opportunity for you to swoop in and grow a stronger brand. 

Consistent marketing gives you a competitive edge because it makes you more recognizable. When people see you in their Google search results (thanks to your SEO) and on Instagram and Threads, they’re more likely to purchase from you when they’re finally ready to convert. Because of your marketing, you’ll be the name they recognize and trust—not your competitors. 

7. Marketing Helps People Prefer You

Especially for small business owners, our business are us. Most of us aren’t competing with the big corporations of the world. And if you are? That makes this reason even more of an advantage.

As a small business, we’re often speaking one-on-one with customers, and a big part of our products or services is the experience we create.

By highlighting yourself and your customer experience within your marketing, you’re showing potential customers why you’re the best option. You can go beyond your offer to demonstrate how you go above and beyond. After all, that saying “people buy from people” holds a lot of truth.

In a world where there’s so much to choose from, your marketing helps people prefer you over the rest. 

8. Marketing Keeps You Top of Mind

We talked about repetition a little bit at the beginning, but this is another big reason why marketing is important. For a lot of products and services, we aren’t always ready to make a purchase instantly. We might take our time researching and just living our lives online before we finally feel ready to spend money. 

During all of that time, we’re subconsciously collecting information about what to buy. This is all part of the marketing funnel, or the steps that people take before they finally make a purchase. 

If you aren’t marketing your business, you aren’t a part of that process. But if you are marketing consistently, these potential buyers are seeing your social posts, blog posts, and more as they’re researching and exploring. When they’re finally ready to buy, you’re top of mind because you’ve shown up as a solution for what they need. 

9. Marketing Makes You Better at Marketing (You don’t get better at marketing by THINKING about marketing)

Getting started with your marketing can feel uncomfortable at first. If you’re not used to it, it really doesn’t feel second nature. You’re having to talk about yourself in ways you never have before and even put yourself out there. 

But like anything else, marketing gets easier with practice. In fact, one of the best parts of marketing is that it gives you data. When you’re constantly marketing your business, you don’t have to guess what’s working or what isn’t—your analytics will guide you, helping you get better and better at successful marketing. 

Small Business Marketing Myths

Marketing definitely takes time and effort, but it gets worse rap than it deserves! If you’ve been holding off on prioritizing your marketing, it might be because of these marketing myths: 

• “Marketing is expensive” → Actually, strategic marketing saves money and increases revenue.
• “I need a big audience first” → You don’t get a big audience without marketing, and you need fewer people than you think.
• “I prefer to post on the fly” → Maybe… but we’re guessing that that’s actually not what the data shows is best for your biz. A strategy is what turns content into results.

Why Marketing is Important

So, why is marketing important? We hope we have convinced you by now! From building brand awareness and driving revenue to fostering relationships and understanding your audience, marketing touches every part of your business success.

And the best part? You don’t have to do it alone. With Enji’s marketing strategy generator, you can create a plan that works for you—one that’s easy to follow and designed to bring in real results. Whether you're just starting out or looking to fine-tune your strategy, marketing is your key to growing your business.

Ready to take your marketing to the next level? Let us help you build a custom marketing plan in just minutes. Start your FREE trial with Enji today!