You live, you learn. You learn, you live.
The old adage, often used in hindsight, has now been replaced, especially in terms of business, with a new situational appraisal.  Learning is absolutely necessary for survival.

In Eric Reis’s New York Times Bestseller ‘The Lean Startup’, Reis emphasizes that (in business) “The only way to win is to learn faster than everyone else.

This can (and needs to be) applied to a business’s marketing.  Too many times, companies forge ahead with marketing plans strictly based on the mediums available and inflate their advertising budgets to execute their “strategy”.  There are (at least) three things that need to be thoroughly investigated before making any decisions. They are emphasized here:

1. YOU
Learn who you are.
Ask yourself important/hard questions
And then:

Don’t assume people will love you.

Don’t incessantly bleed brand info.

Create context, provide value, b.o.b. (bend over backwards)

2. YOUR CUSTOMERS
Learn who your customers are.
Find out who they are, where they are, and what you can do to get them to do what you want them to.
And then:

Don’t assume people will love you.

Don’t incessantly bleed brand info.

Create context, provide value, b.o.b. (bend over backwards)

3. PLATFORMS
Learn the platforms needed to connect.
Get some dirt under your fingernails. Try. Fail. But don’t waste time.
And then:

Don’t assume people will love you.

Don’t incessantly bleed brand info.

Create context, provide value, b.o.b. (bend over backwards)

In conclusion:
Don’t simply spend on advertising to create an image for your business. Spend on the human capital and processes that will make your customer’s one-on-one experience remarkable. The effect will be noteworthy and spread exponentially. Your advertising will be real.