Common Marketing Mistakes

Having been in marketing for many years, I have observed some common marketing mistakes that small businesses often make. These mistakes can cost the business lost income and unnecessary expense. If your small business is on a tight budget, you don’t want to make any marketing mistakes that will cost you money.

Here are four common mistakes that many small business owners make:

No Marketing Plan

Do you have a written plan of how you are going to market your business over the next six to twelve months? Are you failing to plan or planning to fail?

A marketing plan allows your business to define its marketing objectives and clearly communicate your product or service to your team and your customers.

You Don’t Know Your Target Market

Can you clearly describe who your target audience is for each of your products or services?

All of your marketing decisions should be based on knowing and understanding your target market. If you haven’t determined your target audience, take the time to discover who they really are.

No One Is Assigned to Marketing

Is there one person in your business that is responsible for your marketing? If everyone is, then no one actually is.

As a small business owner, you may not have the finances available to hire a full-time marketing person. But it is important that a knowledgeable marketing person be responsible for your marketing, even if you have to outsource it.

You Don’t Track Marketing Results

Do you track each of your marketing campaign results? Do you track your website visits?

In today’s digital world, it’s easy for you to track your results. Google Analytics, for instance, can help you see who is visiting your website, how long they stay and what pages they looked at. This information can assist you in seeing if your home page content and call-to-action are working properly.

If you work to correct these four areas, even on a tight budget, you will position your small business favorably for 2016.