I’ve got two quick questions for you:

  1. Who are the most successful businesses in your industry?
  2. Are they doing more marketing than you?

I don’t know the answer to question one, but the answer to question two is almost certainly ‘yes’.

Now, here’s the conundrum. Do you think they do more marketing than you because they’re successful? Or are they more successful because they do more marketing? 

It will differ from business to business and industry to industry, but it’s certainly a question that’s worth thinking about.