Marketing Mistakes That Stand to Cost Your Small Business

As most small business owners quickly discover, brand marketing can be a fairly complex process. No matter what types of products or services your business offers, building a solid foothold in the community takes time. Furthermore, marketing is generally a matter of trial and error. Over time, you’ll gradually learn to discern strategies that are likely to succeed from those that are likely to fail. However, this isn’t to say that there are no universal truths as far as small business marketing is concerned. As such, you’d do well to avoid the following mistakes when marketing your enterprise.

Using Impractical Promotional Tools

Wanting to spread the word about your brand to the highest number of people possible is perfectly understandable. However, this doesn’t mean you should spend your precious marketing resources on just any promotional endeavor. For example, if your target base skews younger, focusing your efforts (and resources) on digital forms of promotion is generally a safe bet. Conversely, if you’re hoping to reach an older demographic, traditional avenues like television, radio and print may better suit your purposes. 

Still, this isn’t to say that the age of your desired customer base should be the sole determinant factor in where you focus your marketing efforts. If you’re based in a very small community, for instance, traditional forms of promotion – i.e., ad spots on local television and radio outlets – may prove more effective at getting the word out than digital marketing endeavors. If you’re unclear on the best avenues of promotion for your particular business, reach out to a seasoned marketing company and get a professional’s take on the matter. The right company will be able to assist you with everything from social media engagement to ad banner sizes. 

Not Having a Strong Online Presence

Virtually any enterprise that hopes to succeed in the digital age needs to have a strong online presence. However, if no one on your team has much experience with digital marketing, this is liable to strike you as daunting. Fortunately, bolstering your business’s online presence isn’t nearly as challenging as you may think.  

For starters, create a user-friendly, easily-to-navigate website that makes it clear what your business is all about. Secondly, make a point of updating your site on a consistent basis. When generating search results, many prominent search engines tend to score sites that are regularly updated higher than sites whose updates are few and far between. So, for best results, take care to update your site at least once a week. For example, a weekly blog can be an effective tool for boosting your search ranking and providing regular visitors with incentive to keep checking back. 

Failing to Recognize the Importance of SEO

Search engine optimization (SEO) can be a boon to the digital marketing efforts of any business. Since Google and other popular search engines have essentially become the modern-day yellow pages, it’s in every enterprise’s best interest to strive for a favorable ranking. So, if you’ve yet to utilize SEO, there’s no time like the present to rectify this error. 

When creating content for your website, make sure to plug in keywords that are likely to generate attention from search engines. These keywords should make reference to what your business does, as well as the area in which it’s based. The latter is particularly important for businesses with a hyperlocal focus. After all, if you only serve a single community, there’s no sense in trying to compete with other businesses on a national level.   

Keyword Stuffing

Despite how effective they can be at generating attention from search engines, keywords can also prove detrimental to your digital marketing efforts if used improperly. With this in mind, avoid stuffing your web content with keywords. Furthermore, make a point of only using keywords in an organic manner. If a search engine picks up on the fact that you’re engaged in keyword stuffing, your site’s ranking is likely to plummet.  

Marketing is important for every small business, particularly enterprises that are just getting their start. No matter what your business has to offer or how skilled your workforce is, it’s unlikely to generate much interest in the absence of a smart marketing strategy. While no two businesses have identical marketing experiences, there are a number of universal truths when it comes to promoting a fledgling enterprise. For example, no matter what type of business you’re trying to market, you’ll want to avoid the missteps outlined above.