--- title: "CEOs: I’m Spilling Some Small Business Secrets" description: Marketing isn’t a separate “thing” that just sits in a basket on the shelf. Jay Kingley and Ilene Rosenthal discuss this in the latest Best Kept Secret episode. image: https://blog.whitespacemarketinggroup.com/hubfs/secret-3037639_1920-jpg.jpeg --- [![White Space Marketing Group](https://blog.whitespacemarketinggroup.com/hs-fs/hubfs/ws-logo-header.png?width=253&height=80&name=ws-logo-header.png "White Space Marketing Group")](https://www.whitespacemarketinggroup.com/) ![blogbanner](https://blog.whitespacemarketinggroup.com/hs-fs/hubfs/blogbanner.png?width=1500&name=blogbanner.png "blogbanner") [Gray Matter at White Space](https://blog.whitespacemarketinggroup.com) [B2B Marketing Strategy for Small and Mid-Sized Companies](https://blog.whitespacemarketinggroup.com) # [CEOs: I’m Spilling Some Small Business Secrets](https://blog.whitespacemarketinggroup.com/ceos-im-spilling-some-small-business-secrets) ![Ilene Rosenthal, CEO](https://blog.whitespacemarketinggroup.com/hubfs/IHR%20BioPIc%20643x703.jpg) by [Ilene Rosenthal, CEO](https://blog.whitespacemarketinggroup.com/author/ilene-rosenthal-ceo) on Sep 16, 2021 - [Tweet](https://twitter.com/share) Lean in, and I’ll tell you a secret… *Marketing decisions are actually easier than many CEOs think.* Marketing decisions aren't just about marketing. They’re connected to your P&L, in-house resource management, and talent. That’s why these decisions cause CEOs stress, indecision, and major second-guessing. So, how can marketing decisions be easier to grapple with, considering everything *else* on your plate? ## **Applying a Business Approach to Marketing** Think about it... You use the same disciplines in making decisions about your company *as a whole*. You focus on the most important things; what’s yielded results in the past. [![Listen to the "Best Kept Secrets" Podcast](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/176305/750f3d10-36eb-4482-aad0-d27ce76a7e23.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/176305/750f3d10-36eb-4482-aad0-d27ce76a7e23) ![secret-3037639_1920-jpg](https://blog.whitespacemarketinggroup.com/hs-fs/hubfs/secret-3037639_1920-jpg.jpeg?width=350&name=secret-3037639_1920-jpg.jpeg)You also test. Nobody *wants* to test marketing, because it feels like you're spending (and wasting) money. But, you would absolutely test your product to see if it actually works in the marketplace. You would run demos/tests with different audiences. For example, if you're creating a piece of software, you might give it away for free to some of your best customers--just to see how it works in application (and how well it’s received). Why should marketing be any different? ## **Make Marketing *****Matter*** Thinking of marketing in this way is one of the core marketing tenets I shared with Jay Kingley on the latest [Best Kept Secret videocast](https://www.centricitynetwork.com/ilene-rosenthal-white-space-marketing) episode. Marketing isn’t a separate “thing” that just sits in a basket on the shelf all by itself. > “*Nobody wants to test marketing, because it feels like you're spending (and wasting) money.*” If you don’t anchor your marketing in the *rest* of your business, of COURSE it’s going to be wasted time, money, and resources. So, as we look forward to Q4 and beyond (GULP--it’s already almost here!), ask yourself this: - What’s the most important job I want marketing to do for me in the next 12-18 months?  - What are the steps I need to get there?  - And, what questions have I not answered about those very things? There’s much more on this topic in my conversation with Jay (plus a **whole lot more**). [Find it here](https://www.centricitynetwork.com/ilene-rosenthal-white-space-marketing)!   [![Listen to the "Best Kept Secrets" Podcast](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/176305/ecd3c809-9943-49ba-b057-a612a86bb1a0.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/176305/ecd3c809-9943-49ba-b057-a612a86bb1a0) Topics: [marketing strategy](https://blog.whitespacemarketinggroup.com/topic/marketing-strategy), [strategy](https://blog.whitespacemarketinggroup.com/topic/strategy), [marketing](https://blog.whitespacemarketinggroup.com/topic/marketing), [business strategy](https://blog.whitespacemarketinggroup.com/topic/business-strategy), [CEOs](https://blog.whitespacemarketinggroup.com/topic/ceos), [B2B marketing](https://blog.whitespacemarketinggroup.com/topic/b2b-marketing), [Founders](https://blog.whitespacemarketinggroup.com/topic/founders), [B2B](https://blog.whitespacemarketinggroup.com/topic/b2b), [small business](https://blog.whitespacemarketinggroup.com/topic/small-business) About The Author ![Ilene Rosenthal, CEO](https://blog.whitespacemarketinggroup.com/hubfs/IHR%20BioPIc%20643x703.jpg) [ Ilene Rosenthal, CEO ](https://blog.whitespacemarketinggroup.com/author/ilene-rosenthal-ceo) Ilene Rosenthal is the CEO of White Space Marketing Group, fulfilling her aspiration to bring hybrid marketing expertise to the mid-market. With a dee... [read more](https://blog.whitespacemarketinggroup.com/author/ilene-rosenthal-ceo) [![watch the WEBINAR: how to AVOID random acts of marketing ](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/176305/c5f63d26-b091-48d9-822b-8e8904eecef0.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/176305/c5f63d26-b091-48d9-822b-8e8904eecef0) Search this site on Google Search Google ## We're glad you're here. We write about our marketing passions: building digital brands, digging deep for customer insights, tracking marketing effectiveness and ROI for better results. 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