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Small businesses must avoid these 5 marketing mistakes

Posted by Shivali Anand

August 30, 2021 | 3-minute read (581 words)

The marketing world is increasingly complex, and it requires an ongoing effort to make sure that your company receives the exposure it needs. Check out these five marketing blunders to avoid if you want to spread the word about your company.

Relying on your marketer to fix every issue

You may have the best marketing specialist in town, but that individual cannot correct underlying challenges. Poor products or services cannot be resolved with a marketing plan, nor can a negative reputation or shaky financial foundation. Don’t expect the marketer to make such problems disappear.

If the person decides to part ways with your firm, the decision to put all your eggs in their basket will create complications. Business owners tend to think that "their next recruit will address their major issue," Mark Cuban once said in an interview.

Implement a strong product or service and test it on the market instead of focusing all of your enterprise's expectations on a single marketer to be certain all systems are in place.

Failing to identify your target market

It is impossible to market to the correct group without first knowing who your audience is. Broadcasting your message without regard to whom it’s going will waste your money and can ruin your reputation. Instead, do a meticulous study to find out who your market is, and then advertise to them directly.

“It’s impossible to please everyone no matter what industry you are in, and you simply cannot solve the needs of everyone,” Frank B. Mengert from ebenefit Marketplace told Forbes. "My advice is to identify your target audience and where you can bring the most value. Create something special and exclusive with your market and they’ll love you for letting them in,” he said.

Solving a nonexistent problem

Some entrepreneurs are so thrilled to start marketing their fresh ideas before even determining whether they have a solution to a real problem. According to a 2018 CB Insights poll, 42% of small business failures can be attributed to "no necessity in the market."

If you haven’t done a market research study yet to establish the viability of your startup, the moment has arrived. This is essential and will prove expensive to your marketing and business strategies if ignored.

Ignoring social cues

Pay attention to what is being said about your company on social media. This is an inexpensive and important tactic.

Tech From Vets President Jeff Shuford wrote: "One of the savviest ways to build early traction for your startup is to double-down on social listening for lead generation Use everything from SocialMention.com to Reddit search and Twitter's advanced search

This strategy will allow you to see white spaces your target customers are looking for, develop keywords and identify competitors. It is also an easy way to provide feedback on your products and services, which you can use to adjust your strategy.

Not looking to the future

You risk overlooking the big picture if your marketing approach focuses solely on the next month or two. Your operations team is probably focused on the next six to 12 months; therefore, your marketing team should do the same.

“You have to ask a simple but tough question: What is the one strategy that will enable me to achieve my goals?” HubSpot CMO Kipp Bodnar said in an interview with Forbes. " “If the core business problem is attracting new customers, then the focus has to be on the tactics that drive that.”

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Ideation

Small businesses must avoid these 5 marketing mistakes

Relying on your marketer to fix every issue

Failing to identify your target market

Solving a nonexistent problem

Ignoring social cues

Not looking to the future

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