10 Marketing Mistakes Small Businesses Often Make

Uh-oh. It’s time for another gloom-and-doom post. You know, those posts where all we talk about is everything that you’re doing wrong and then cap it all off with reasons why you should work with us (because you obviously can’t handle marketing your company on your own). While it’s true we will be talking about 10 marketing mistakes small businesses often make, we’re not here to load up on the gloom-and-doom.

Personally, what I like about marketing is that many companies CAN handle their marketing on their own. Let’s be honest: this isn’t rocket science. It’s not even Calculus II. Most of our marketing best practices are common-sense, no-frills tactics that simply address the typical behaviors of end users. But, while most company can handle their own marketing, it’s very easy to let “easy” marketing tactics fall by the wayside during busy weeks and months. In fact, that’s probably the #1 marketing mistake that small business make: losing consistency. For 9 more marketing mistakes small businesses often make, read on.

10 Marketing Mistakes Small Businesses Often Make

Inconsistency

Sound familiar? That’s because we just talked about this. Moving on…

Forgetting the 80/20 Rule

We talked about this here and here. Read up on this rule and don’t ever forget about it.

Not Creating a Schedule

If you don’t have your marketing scheduled, it is that much easier to let it fall to pieces when the aforementioned busy weeks and months happen. Create a content schedule so that you can plan in advance, stay organized and hold each other accountable. Read about creating a social media calendar here.

Sharing or Posting Unrelated Content

It’s tempting to post unrelated content in an effort to have a consistent stream of content. Don’t fall for that trap. Keep your messaging on-point. Each piece of content you produce should fulfill your previously-set goals. We’ll discuss more about goals next.

Setting unrealistic expectations

Are your goals unrealistic? You’ll find out pretty quickly when the results don’t match your expectations. Try setting SMART goals – Specific and Measurable and Attainable and Relatable and Time-bound. Read more about SMART goals (and how to create your own set of SMART goals) here.

Managing too much

Don’t sign up for more than you can manage. When in doubt, manage less marketing tactics, but manage those really, really well. For example, if you can’t manage to post on Facebook and Twitter and Instagram, pick the accounts that matter the most and focus on those first.

Not Proofreading

Always take the time to proofread. In my mind, there’s nothing that destroys credibility more quickly than a typo. Proofreading doesn’t cost you much more additional time and is definitely worth the effort.

Forgetting about your target audience

If you don’t create content for your target audience, who are you creating it for? Without a clear target audience in mind, your marketing efforts will fall flat (or, at he minimum, they’ll fall flatter than they would have been with a clearly defined audience).

Failing to Improve

Seek improvement month after month and year after year. The times change, and your marketing efforts should be changing with (or ahead of) the times, too. Don’t be afraid to try out new tactics – as long as you can do so without violating any of these previous rules. Much of marketing is about trial-and-error. Take a risk. You might be surprised by the outcome!

Not Asking for Help (when needed!) 

I promised I wouldn’t cap this post off with all the reasons why you should work with us. I lied. Here’s the thing: asking for help is an important attribute of successful marketing campaigns. Of course you can’t handle absolutely every piece of your company’s marketing – that’s not the industry you’re in! It makes sense that you would reach out to the experts in the field every now and then. It’s calling for backup, and even the most all-star internal marketers call for backup. 

If you would indeed like to ask us for help, reach out to us here, or, if it’s easier, reach out to us at 262-303-4238.