Three Marketing Mistakes Small Business Owners Make and How to Fix Them.
Posted on March 07, 2022 by Katherine Sheldon, One of Thousands of Business Coaches on Noomii.
Marketing is crucial for new and seasoned businesses. Learn the top three marketing mistakes owners make and why it is important to fix them.
I was working with a client the other day and when trying to get to know him and his business I went to google to look up his website. I didn’t see it listed. His Facebook page was listed and his agency was listed on other websites that listed community healthcare providers. I was surprised and reached asking if the agency had a website. “No, but the agency has a Facebook page” was the response I was given. I was shocked. I mentioned the importance of having a website and his response was that they got inquiries from the Facebook page. I remarked that it was great, but the agency really needed to invest in a website.
Many times small business owners overlook crucial marketing points for a number of reasons. Often they don’t think they need it because their niche is so narrow or they don’t want to pay the expense of it. However, every business needs to make a marketing plan in order to stand out from its competition. Overlooking marketing is a grave mistake that a small business can’t afford to take. It is the difference between standing out from the competition and growing or shutting down.
Read further to learn three crucial marketing mistakes that small businesses make and how to fix them.
No website:
Many businesses feel the cost of creating and maintaining a website is not needed or is a waste of time for their business. In fact according to one poll by digital.com it showed that 23% of businesses do not have a website. Some said they relied on social media for marketing and therefore thought they could skip having a website. It is surprising so many businesses make this HUGE and costly mistake. Your website is your home base, the center of your brand and feeds all your other digital marketing. It is your digital asset. People can’t find you if you don’t have a website. Sure you may have a Facebook page, but many people do not engage with Facebook. Your business loses much needed traffic.
A website legitimizes your business and gives you credibility. Many will think your business is not trustworthy if it does not have a website. It answers the important questions. Who are you? What do you do? What are your values? How do people contact you?
FIX IT: To put it simply, get a website. Fortunately, your website can be simple and needs only five pages. A Homepage, an About page, a page about your services and products, a contact page and a blog. There are many sites where you can build your own, such as: Wix, GoDaddy or Squarebase. They provide templates and easy to build tools. Or you can always hire an expert marketing agency or even find someone on Fiverr or Upworks.
Not building Relationships or Networking:
You must establish and build relationships with customers, affiliates and referral partners. Bottom line is people do business or refer business to companies they know and trust. If you are staying behind your desk and do not engage, how will people get to know you. Relationship building leads to trust. Many new business owners are worried about networking because they are worried about being judged by others.
FIX IT: Use social media to engage with others. Post on Instagram, Facebook, and Linked In. Ask for comments or ask questions. Provide content or valuable information on Reels or You Tube. Go to networking events in your community. These include Chambers of Commerce or BNI’s. Many networking organizations are niched such as women’s groups, healthcare, young professionals, or business groups. Explore different groups until you find one that fits you and your business.
Relying solely on word of mouth referrals.
I hear this all the time by business owners when I ask them about their marketing strategies. They proudly announce “all word of mouth marketing”. Well word of mouth referrals are great but should only be a fraction of your marketing efforts. What if those referrals eventually dry up? If they do, what do you have for leads in your pipeline? Relying on word of mouth is great because it’s free, but can be a businesses downfall if they do not have other marketing strategies in place.
FIX IT: Have a marketing plan. Many business owners do not have a marketing plan. Without one you have not defined your target market and or defined your marketing strategies. A good marketing plan describes what types of marketing you will conduct. You should have a marketing budget and then analyze each strategy to understand its ROI (return on investment).
In conclusion if you are a serious business owner then you need to have a clearly defined marketing strategy that begins with your website and then feeds into other strategies. The strategies should be analyzed to determine if it is the right course of action or if they need to be tweaked. With the right marketing plan your business will flourish and grow.
