As a small business, marketing is essential to your success. However, it can be really easy to push marketing aside because of all the other demands you have to keep your business going. If you are looking for more sales, focusing on your marketing is a must. Here are some common mistakes to avoid that we often see when working with new clients.
Thinking marketing is too expensive.
It’s true what they say; you have to spend money to make money. There is no way out of it. If you are a start-up business with very little money, it can be hard to designate some of your small budget to marketing, but we promise you, it will be worth it. The good news: there are plenty of low-cost ways you can market your business. Social media, blogging, newsletters, and media coverage can be very low cost and effective.
Making marketing only about you.
These days, marketing is less about you and more about the customer you are looking to attract. Try not to market the product or service you are selling all the time. Market more about what the product or service can do for your customers to make their lives better.
Here’s an example: If you are an insurance company that sells homeowner’s insurance, such as Darr Schackow Insurance, marketing what is and is not included in a policy will go a lot further than just advertising that you sell homeowner’s insurance. You are providing potential customers with something that is useful to them and showing your credibility to them simultaneously.
You don’t plan.
If you don’t have a marketing plan, it is like you are throwing something at a wall, hoping it will stick. While it is important to test out specific marketing tactics to see what works and what doesn’t, it’s more beneficial to plan these steps out and to know why you are choosing these particular marketing tactics. We recommend a quarterly marketing plan.
Tracking
Having a marketing plan does nothing for you if you don’t track the results from your plan. Look at what works and what doesn’t work, and then tweak your plan from there. Not everything will give you the results you are looking for, but tracking your results will give you a better idea of which direction will get you to better results.
- Track your website visits through Google Analytics.
- Look at your social media posts to see which ones get more likes, comments, and reactions.
- Use A/B testing on your email newsletter to track which email subject lines work better.
- Keep a list of keywords that are relevant to your industry.
You are only using social media as your marketing.
While social media should be a major part of your marketing plan, it shouldn’t be your only form of marketing. Email marketing, blogging, event marketing, and direct mailings are just a few of the other forms of marketing that you can use. Having multiple marketing streams will allow you to reach more people.
Doing exactly what your competitors are doing.
It’s always a good idea to research what your competitors are doing, but copying exactly what they do is not a good idea. Once you plan and track some of your marketing goals and outcomes, you will have a better idea of who your customers are and how to keep them happy. Your competitors may have similar customers as you, but they most likely won’t be the same. Pay more attention to learning about who your customers are rather than your competitors’ customers, so you can keep them happy.
Marketing can take a lot of time and effort, but it can increase your sales significantly if it is done correctly. If you are looking for help with your marketing strategy, reach out to Keep It Real Social, and our marketing experts can help!
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