Most small business owners aren’t marketing experts, and many simply aren’t aware of how to build and execute an effective strategy. But whether you know a little about marketing or nothing at all, being aware of some of the most common marketing mistakes can help you avoid them.
1. You Put all Your (Marketing) Eggs in One Basket
You love Twitter, and so you’ve made it your primary — scratch that — only marketing channel. You’ve forsaken other tools like blogging, other social sites, press releases, and advertising for this one marketing channel.
But what happens when your audience leaves Twitter? Will your business shrivel up and die? It’s better to diversify your marketing efforts to reach a wider audience and get your mix of customers coming from different channels. That way, if and when one tool goes out of favor (MySpace, anyone?) you won’t have to scramble to rethink your marketing.
2. You’re Not Marketing
Business is good, and so you don’t think about what you’ll do when customers stop coming in. You convince yourself you don’t need to market your business, because you have plenty of it.
Marketing isn’t an activity you perform for right now; it’s one you do for the future. So while business is booming now, if you market now, you’ll keep it booming long into the future. Continue your marketing efforts so your brand stays in the spotlight permanently.
3. You Don’t Know What You’re Doing, But Do it Anyway
You don’t really have a grasp of how businesses use social (or blogging, PR, or anything else) but you give it a shot. And so you’re filling your social profiles with self-promotion and links, and wonder why no one’s following you.
An uneducated marketer is a dangerous one. Fortunately, there are plenty of blog posts, websites, webinars, and consultants to help. Pick a few resources that fit your budget (don’t worry; free is definitely an option here) and bone up on what you need to know to build a smarter execution and strategy.
4. You’re on Every Social Site
If there’s a new social media site out there, you’re on it. The problem is, your customers aren’t. You’re likely wasting a great deal of time updating your status on sites that simply don’t appeal to your audience.
Go for depth rather than breadth here. Find 1-3 sites your customers do spend time on, and focus your efforts there. Deliver so much value on these few sites that people rush to click Like or Follow.
5. You Don’t Measure Results
What’s all your marketing for if you have no idea if it’s generating leads or sales? You’ve got no excuse; social media platforms have analytics built in. Google Analytics is free. You have the ability to see how every blog article, Tweet, and ad brought (or didn’t) new customers to your door.
Figure out what’s working and do more of it. Eliminate what isn’t sending traffic and customers to you.
While you don’t have to be a marketing guru to successfully market your business, you do need to see the bigger picture and have a clear-cut strategy in place. Then you’ll find a quicker path to your customers and grow your business.
“Off Target Shows Aiming Mistake” courtesy of Stuart Miles / www.freedigitalphotos.net
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