5 Small Business Marketing Mistakes to Avoid

1. Not Developing a Thorough Online Presence

Did you know that 85% of consumers conduct online research before making a purchase online? These days, if your business isn’t active online, you may be out of the running. Over one-third of American small businesses don’t have a website -- don’t get left behind if you’re part of this group! 

While you’re at it, don’t forget to optimize your website for mobile. A design that looks great on your desktop may not translate well on mobile devices, where consumers are flocking to in large numbers. Research shows that users who have a bad experience on a mobile site are a whopping 62% less likely  to make a purchase from that business in the future.

As a key touchpoint for potential customers to get to know your business before they take next steps, having an inviting and informative website can make all the difference in building trust at the beginning stages of the buyer’s journey. Plus, if applicable, adding online shopping or online services to your site can bolster additional sales and engagement.

Are you keeping up with the latest online reviews? By replying when appropriate, you can nurture customer relationships online and build upon your business’ credibility for potential customers.

While some businesses may be intimidated at the thought of posting on social media, setting up social media profiles with key information about your business like your hours, email, and phone number can be another great way to maximize your online presence. If you can commit to posting occasionally, this can also increase your chances of being found online and boost your exposure.

If these suggestions sound daunting to take on yourself, no need to fear. With the help of a digital marketing agency, you can rest assured that the process of developing and improving your business’ online presence will be in good hands. New to the world of online marketing? Check out our recommended reading below to get more familiar! 

• 10 Tips for Better Digital Marketing Results in 2021
• 5 Ways to Improve Your Small Business Marketing
• 10 Facts You Need to Know About Digital Use in 2021 (and How to Implement Them in Your Digital Marketing Strategy)
• Are Your Digital Marketing Campaigns Diverse and Inclusive?

2. Not Reaching the Right Audiences

As a small business, chances are you’re aiming to reach local consumers in your area. Don’t make the mistake of wasting your advertising dollars by casting too large of a net -- instead, make sure you’re directing your efforts to reaching the exact people who are in the market for your products or services. 

The first step in this process is recognizing which groups in your area to reach, and who your average or ideal customer is. Based on your business’ products or services, your ideal customers may be in a certain age group, income level, educational or professional background, etc. The more you can narrow down your target audience, the more effective your marketing efforts will be -- and you can save more money on marketing in the long run.

Now that you know who you want to target, it’s important to decide what your goal for your marketing campaign is. Do you want to increase awareness for your business, or gain foot traffic and leads? Or, are you looking for more engagement among your target audience? 

Depending on your marketing goals and potential customers, you can then hone in on which platforms will make the most sense to reach them on. For instance, if your goal is to promote a new product offering to drive leads, and your target audience is made up of business professionals, using email marketing would be a great way to connect with them on a platform that they frequently use. 

Speaking of reaching the right audiences …many businesses don’t think of extending their marketing efforts past the general market, despite the fact that connecting with multicultural consumers has been proven to be an extremely effective strategy time and time again.

For example, did you know that U.S. Hispanics are the country’s largest minority group, and both their increases in buying power and population size has outpaced that of non-Hispanics? This alone makes them an audience worth reaching, especially if you live in an area with a large or growing Latino community. 

Plus, reaching Latino audiences pays off. 38% of Hispanics agree that they are more loyal towards companies that show appreciation for their culture by advertising in Spanish. Learn more about why you need to be reaching the Hispanic market below, and see firsthand results from Hispanic marketing campaigns here!

3. Not Tracking and Optimizing Your Marketing Campaigns

Another major mistake small businesses make when building out their marketing campaigns is failing to track results and optimize accordingly. If something isn’t working, it’s vital to understand why to avoid repeating the same mistakes. On the other hand, if something is working well, it’s helpful to keep track and consider allocating more resources toward it in the future. 

While figuring out which strategies work best may be a process of trial and error at first, measuring your results is the first step to developing successful campaigns. Thanks to the capabilities digital marketing platforms have to offer, you can track every step and stay up to date with your campaign’s progress. 

Understandably, most businesses aren’t necessarily experts when it comes to using each platform to its full capacity for maximum impact. For this reason, finding a digital marketing agency is a great way to get started and discover more about the process. Want to learn about specific digital marketing methods and how they work? The following posts might be right up your alley: 

• Local Digital Marketing 101: What is Geofencing?
• Digital Marketing 101: Landing Page Benefits and Best Practices You Need to Know to Grow Your Business
• Digital Marketing 101: How Do YouTube Ads Work?
• How to Build Better Email Marketing Campaigns
• A Definitive Guide to CTV/OTT Ads
• What is Online Video Marketing?

4. Not Keeping Tabs on Your Competitors

You don’t need to track your competition’s every move, but failing to keep up can cost your business. By identifying what your competitors are doing to market their business, you can not only get inspiration from what they’re doing if it’s working well, but you can also get a better idea of where you can improve your marketing strategy to set yourself apart.

The last thing you want is to be caught off guard by your competitors and their success if you haven’t been following along as closely. By finding out which platforms they’re advertising across and who they’re aiming to reach, your business can make informed decisions and develop your marketing strategy with these factors in mind. 

5. Not Developing a Compelling Unique Value Proposition

When it comes to how you market your business, if you’re not highlighting what sets your business apart, your marketing efforts can suffer from it. You can advertise on the right platforms and reach the right audience, but if your messaging doesn’t distinguish itself from the crowd, it can be easy to go unnoticed. 

Consumers are becoming increasingly picky and have higher expectations from the brands and businesses they choose. For example, 58% of people decide to stop doing business with a company because of poor customer experience.

Once your business can shine a light on what makes it unique and how it provides excellent service, you stand a much better chance at winning over potential customers. From case studies and client testimonials on your website, to top notch creative messaging in your marketing campaigns, there are many ways to showcase your unique value proposition to consumers.

Check out how we’ve been able to transform our clients’ digital marketing campaigns by heading over to our case studies, or dive deeper into the services we offer here.

How to Get Started With Improving Your Small Business Marketing 

Now that you know some of the common small business marketing mistakes to avoid, you may be wondering how you can get started with improving and implementing best practices with the help of an experienced digital marketing agency. 

Feel free to contact one of our expert digital marketing consultants or find a location near you to learn more. Questions or comments? You can reach us here -- we look forward to hearing from you!