As a small business owner, you don’t have a lot of room for error, as you may be short on both resources and time. You might not have much to fall back on if you do make a mistake. The good news is that avoiding a few common pitfalls can help you stay ahead of the competition.
Not Studying Before Hiring Others
If you don’t have time to market yourself, you may outsource someone else to do so. This can be an excellent way of saving time and working with someone more knowledgeable, but if you have not studied marketing yourself, you may not be able to choose the right person. If you don’t have knowledge of how it works, you won’t be able to tell if the candidate knows what they are talking about. One way to mitigate this issue is to consider getting your degree in a relevant field. You could get a marketing degree with a focus on small business so you have a better understanding of how things work. You can look for scholarships if you fill out your basic profile online and get matched with opportunities to cover part or all of the cost of tuition.
Not Tracking Processes
One of the worst mistakes is not tracking everything you can. If you don’t you risk not knowing what is working and what is not. Whether it is traffic after a marketing campaign, conversions from an ad, or website analytics, tracking can help you learn from your mistakes and improve for the next time.
Focusing More on Social Media Than Your Website
When social media first became so popular, companies utilized some of the best social media management tools and focused on driving more traffic to their social media pages. Some companies even thought about closing down websites so they could focus more on social media. However, it is best to avoid this pitfall. In fact, your pages should actually bring people back to your site. Think of it as a tool to bring in more people and a way of engaging with your current customers. It should not be viewed as a replacement for your website. If something were to happen to the social media platform or account, all your efforts would be wasted and you would not have a backup.
Not Understanding the Competition
You have a great chance to learn about the things that work and the things that do not, and it’s a common mistake to ignore it. Keeping an eye on what your competition is doing will help you compare your own results. Even if these companies are in another location, find a few similar organizations that are doing fairly well and spend some time going over their marketing. You can learn more about their failures and successes as you track what they are up to. Pay attention to the things they have tried once and never again, as these might be things for you to avoid as well. It takes time to build this type of knowledge, so set aside a bit of time on a regular basis to do your research.
Ignoring Physical Marketing
A lot of companies and businesses focus on digital marketing these days. Social media, website, etc. However, there is still a huge market for physical marketing. In fact, in an age of digital marketing, physical marketing can really set you aside from the competition. If you’re looking to snag new clients, offering them a photography portfolio book full of pertinent work you’ve completed can be a game changer. They’ll be able to flick through it in their own time and you’ll leave a great impression. You can give this to them in person for a better impact, or, send it to them if you’re far away. It’ll give them the opportunity to look at your work as it should be seen: in high quality. You can also cater each portfolio book to the client in question so it’s even more powerful. Alternatively, print off a few generic ones to give out on short notice.