The Biggest Mistake Small Businesses Make In Their Marketing
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updated on: July 26, 2023
If you own or run a small business, you know that being focused and targeted is the best way to make use of your limited resources. Marketing is no different!
As a marketing agency that works predominantly with small businesses (and those who have grown into medium-sized companies), the biggest mistake we see made in their marketing efforts is not being laser focused. Essentially, they try to be everything to everybody.
It’s a very attractive trap to try to be a good fit for every possible customer. Owners want their businesses to grow and thrive, so it’s tempting to make things fit for every consumer. They offer every related service possible and keep marketing messaging very broad so it can fit for all customer types. We understand how this happens, but it’s definitely the number one thing holding small businesses back from getting more ROI out of their marketing efforts.
“So I’ve made this mistake, how do I course correct?”
This is a common question we get when working with business owners who are looking to create more brand awareness and grow their online results. The answer is different for every company, of course, but here are a few key steps we recommend.
1. Get crystal clear on your ideal customer type
Sure, you aren’t going to start turning away business, but you want to narrow down the best type of customers for your business. Determine the ones that you most enjoy working with and that are the most profitable for your business.
Whatever your business goals are and the direction you want to go in can also influence the ideal customer you want. You may need to bridge the gap between your current ideal customer and what that looks like in the future, but laying that out now can keep you focused on going in the right direction.
2. Determine which products & services you offer are most effective.
You may sell everything that you offer, but get your data out and track down which ones are the most effective and where you can own the largest section of market share.
Effective can mean the ones that make the biggest impact for your clients. It can also mean the options where you have the best profit margins, advantageous suppliers and those that align with your future goals and direction.
Essentially, what can you dominate that delights your ideal customer, makes you money and aligns with your vision for your company? And don’t forget – what do you enjoy doing the most?
3. Build core messaging for your target audience.
Once you know your best products and services, craft messaging that speaks directly to the needs of your ideal customer and the unique way you can fulfill them. Use your own voice to ensure the message is compelling and aligns with what your customers already know and love about your brand.
4. Get strategic on the channels you use.
Again, it’s very tempting to hop onto every social platform and use every marketing tactic out there, but that’s a fast way to burn out and waste valuable resources. Clarify the best ways to connect with your audience and provide them with the information and service they need to maximize what you sell them.
An important note here is that consumer behaviour and the platforms used to reach consumers are constantly changing. This means you’ll want to keep a close eye on how things are performing and take action before you start to see a significant drop off.
Test new platforms and tactics, make adjustments regularly and document what works. This allows you to have a robust and dynamic offering without wasting money, time and energy on tactics that aren’t working or that have stopped being effective.
5. Talk to your people.
Your team and your customers have tremendous insight into what’s working and what’s not – make sure you talk to them and truly listen.
Use polls and surveys, as well as round tables, Live’s and team meetings to gather feedback on everything. Find out what people love about your product or service, your brand, the service they get and how you deliver content for them. Ask your team what they are hearing and how they feel about all of your efforts.
And the single most important step here is to take action with the information you are given. Not everything will be in alignment with your vision, and that’s okay, but if your customers and your team are giving you feedback on important details related to your offering, service or marketing, be sure to incorporate it!
Trying to be everything to everybody barely works for large, global businesses with seemingly unlimited budgets. It definitely does not work for a small business that has limited resources and needs to find an area they can achieve growth in. Determine what you, your team and your customers love and what makes you unique. Then use that to market to a more narrow section of the market and watch your ROI soar!
