Nov 14, 20182 min read

Marketing Mistakes to Avoid

Updated: Oct 22, 2021

What to do and what not to do? This is a question many small business owners have regarding their marketing efforts.

Well if this is a question on your mind as well, Rieva Lesonsky, CEO and President of GrowBiz Media has 7 critical mistakes to avoid when marketing your business.

This is only an except, for the full article please click here!

Mistake 1. Not setting goals for your marketing efforts

Remember, "what's measured is managed" and you must always manage your marketing activities. Set goals and objectives, clear expectations then create simple benchmarks that must be hit on the way to achieving your goal.

Mistake 2. Not having a marketing plan

Those that fail to plan, should plan on failing. It's that simple. List your goals then come up with measurable courses of action to reach those goals.

Mistake 3. Not marketing to existing customers

The purpose of marketing is to gain attention and build trust, if someone has already trusted you and purchased your service, why reach out to them first for EVERYTHING. Strengthen these relationships, don't forget them.

Mistake 4. Not managing your reputation

The perception of your business to your customers is your reality. So get feedback on ways to improve customer service and customer satisfaction. Reviews, surveys, and questionnaires are golden.

Mistake 5. Focusing on features, not benefits

"Features are things your product or service has; benefits are how it helps your customers" Lesonsky says, so focus on more the benefits and value that your customers get from your services.

Mistake 6. No call to action

So they're at your website or Facebook page, NOW WHAT? Build it they will come doesn't work, and even if they do, by chance stop by - what action do you want them to take? Don't know? Great, now you have wasted an opportunity for a sale or conversion. A clear call to action ( CTA ) can make all the difference in how effective your advertising and promotional activities. Still need help on how to create CTAs that work? Click here for a FREE list and description of some of the most effective CTAs!

Mistake 7. Not testing or tracking your marketing

Rememer that "what gets measured gets managed" thing? Well this is a part of measuring. If you're not paying attention to which ads get results and which don’t,as Lesonsky says, "you're throwing money away." Get familiar with the analytics tools such as Google Analytics and Google Tag Manager, also social media sites and email marketing services offer many free tools to help you. The more you learn from your mistakes, the more your marketing will improve, in the end generating leads and sales.

This article contains content originally published on the SBA blog.

Lesonsky, Rieva. "7 Marketing Mistakes That Can Come Back to Haunt You." Oct. 13, 2017. https://www.sba.gov/blogs/7-marketing-mistakes-can-come-back-haunt-you?utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery