As a company, you market your products and services because that is what’s going to bring in business for you. You probably use every method of marketing that you can think of and maybe even see if your team can come up with some new ideas. Getting creative is a good thing, but if you aren’t careful it can lead to making mistakes. Below are five of the most common marketing mistakes new businesses make when first starting out. Be aware of these common marketing pitfalls because they might save you a lot of time and trouble.
Five Common Marketing Mistakes:
One: When companies first start out, they often task their marketing to somebody within the company that doesn’t know what they are doing. The person assigned the role ends up not knowing what to do and what resources to use. In a successful marketing effort, it’s important to have a clear strategy. It’s important to hire a person (or seek their guidance on a consultatory basis) that knows how to market successfully and has a proven track-record.
Two: Not marketing to the right people tends to cause problems for companies when they are starting out. Knowing your audience is critical. New startups can be so focused on where they want to go, that they forget to hone-in and target their marketing efforts to their desired audience, and instead just pump out content. Try to keep a clear view of who you are trying to reach, not just what you are trying to accomplish.
Three: Complacency is a killer. A big mistake that companies make is continuing to use strategies that have worked in the past and assuming that they will work in the future. As a new business, it’s easy to think that you can just do a few small things with your marketing and then let it coast. New methods of marketing emerge all the time, so it’s important to be aware of them and try to improve your approach.
Four: Not doing research can cause problems down the line. Doing research is very important when first starting to market. Find out what your customers do and do not like. Try different price-points. That way you won’t end up finding out two years in you could have been selling way more had you only done that research earlier.
Five: Results take time. A lot of companies put a stop to successful marketing strategies too early because they haven’t seen any results yet. It’s important not to think that results will come overnight. If you have a clear strategy and are targeting the correct audience, make sure you give it time to properly evaluate its efficacy.
When marketing, mistakes will happen, but it’s important to learn from those mistakes and move forward with an increased understanding of how to succeed. Marketing is all about trying new things and finding out what works best for your business. Hire somebody with experience, know your audience, do your research, continuously improve, and give it time to see results. We are confident that if you follow our advice you will be well on your way to success.
If you would like to avoid these common marketing mistakes and have our team of professionals create a targeted and effective marketing strategy for you, contact us anytime.