The business landscape is always changing. One day you’re on top of the world, and the next day your business has been overtaken by something new. It’s hard to stay ahead of the game when there are so many ways business marketing can go wrong. That’s why we’re going to explore 8 common mistakes business owners make in their business marketing and offer marketing tips to fix them!
Not starting with a clear goal or strategy.
When you don’t have a goal, it’s hard to know when you’ve achieved it. And without a strategy, you’ll be all over the place, frustrated you’re not making any progress as you constantly play catch-up!
Marketing Tip #1
Define a goal before you start any marketing program. Do you want the phone to ring or customers to go to a webpage? Do you want to grow a social media following or increase engagement with your brand? Once you know your goal, you can start to develop a strategy and baseline KPI (key performance indicators) to measure your success.
Are you targeting the right audience? Do you have a clear understanding of your audience?
If you’re not targeting the right people, your marketing dollars are wasted. And if you don’t understand your target audience, you’re not going to be able to create content or messaging that resonates with them.
Marketing Tip #2
Create buyer personas. A buyer persona is a fictional representation of your ideal customer. By understanding what this person looks like, what their needs and wants are, and how they behave when they’re shopping for a product or service like yours, you can create content and messaging that speaks directly to them.
Are you using data and analytics to measure success?
If you don’t know whether your digital marketing is working or not, how can you improve it? Tracking performance and those KPI’s you established will help you make quick pivots and adjust course accordingly.
Marketing Tip #3
Use analytics, pixels and google tracking codes to measure how your marketing is performing and where your audience is coming from. Which channels are driving the most traffic to your website? What’s the conversion rate for each of your marketing channels? How many leads are you generating from each channel? What is your cost per click? What is your cost per customer acquired?
By understanding which channels are working and which ones need improvement, you can focus your efforts on the channels that are delivering results.
Are you being consistent with your messaging and brand?
When you’re all over the place with your messaging, customers don’t know what to make of you. And when your branding is inconsistent, it’s hard for customers to remember who you are and what you stand for.
Marketing Tip #4
Be consistent with your branding and messaging. Having a style guide for your brand ensures all of your marketing collateral is on-brand. Be sure to use the same fonts, colors, and voice across all of your channels.
Does your team have the creativity and innovation required?
The business landscape is always changing and so you always need to be on the lookout for new ways to market your business. We see many businesses stuck doing things the way they always did them, and usually without a reason why.
If you’re not being creative, you’re going to get left behind. Small business marketing faces unique challenges in staffing and knowledge to carry out the needed marketing efforts with in-house staff.
Marketing Tip #5
Be creative and innovative in your marketing. Experiment with new channels, try out new tactics, and never stop learning. Stay ahead of the curve by constantly evolving your marketing strategy. Don’t be afraid to outsource.
Are you allocating enough time and budget to marketing?
You can’t expect to have a successful business without allocating time and money to marketing. Marketing is one of the most important investments you can make in your business. The old saying “it takes money to make money” is especially true in today’s competitive landscape.
Whether it’s email marketing, social media marketing, or digital marketing, know the market saturation numbers and budget accordingly.
Marketing Tip #6
Allocate enough time and budget to your marketing plan. Just doing the same old thing isn’t going to get you the results you want, and “dipping your toes in the water to see if it works” is a recipe for failure. Be willing to commit the resources and invest in the marketing tools required to truly test a marketing strategy.
The danger of producing low-quality content.
One of the biggest turnoffs for customers is low-quality content. If your website looks like it was designed in the 1990s, your blog posts are full of spelling mistakes, or your social media posts are just plain boring, you’re going to miss out on new customers.
Marketing Tip #7
Produce high-quality content. This means taking the time to write well-crafted blog posts, designing beautiful and user-friendly websites, and creating interesting and engaging social media posts. Content marketing is one of the most important aspects of your marketing and you need to invest in quality content if you want to succeed.
Are you neglecting your website and SEO?
You can have the best content in the world, but if no one can find it, it’s useless. Investing in website design and SEO makes sure your website is search engine friendly, mobile search optimized, and easy to navigate. Your marketing efforts should always point strategically to landing pages. Make sure they represent you brand in content and quality.
Marketing Tip #8
Invest in website design and SEO. These are two important aspects of your marketing that you can’t afford to neglect. Make sure your website looks good and is easy to use and that you’re doing everything you can to optimize your site for search engines.
In business, there are many common marketing mistakes that can be easily avoided with a little research. In this post, we’ve outlined some of the most common business marketing mistakes and how to fix them. Whether you have an established business or if you’re just starting out, these tips will help your business succeed in today’s competitive marketplace. Don’t forget to share this blog article on social media so other small business owners can benefit from our advice!
