We’re not all marketers, are we? It would be nice if when we decided to start our business that we had some knowledge up our sleeves, but often the reality is that we’re learning on the job. Start up businesses often have small budgets that need to stretch to the moon and back in order to fulfill their hopeful ambitions. Aside from the skills they want to offer as service to others, or the innovative product they created, they are now navigating their way through lots of other challenges. Finances, overheads, legalities, logistics… and marketing. 

Making marketing mistakes is part of this learning process, but sometimes these errors can set us back in our businesses. A poor branding decision can give customers the wrong impression of what we offer, while a poorly executed marketing strategy can leave us always playing catch-up with our competitors. To avoid these pitfalls, it’s important to have a clear marketing plan and to be mindful of the potential mistakes we could make. By being proactive and strategic in our marketing, we can avoid the pressure and stress of making decisions on the fly. And if we do make a mistake, we can learn from it and move forward confidently, knowing that we have a solid plan to guide us. Plan B, as it were.

All this is pretty daunting stuff, especially if you’re not a marketing expert. All is not lost –  there are some simple strategies that can help you get started, without feeling overwhelmed. The first step is to have a clear plan. What are your goals? Who is your target audience? What resources do you have available? Once you have a good understanding of your business situation, you can start to develop a marketing strategy that makes sense for your business. It’s an ongoing process, and what works today might not work tomorrow – which is why this needs careful thought and planning, and your strategy will be custom made to aim for the goals you decide on. The most important thing is to keep moving forward and constantly be seeking ways to improve your marketing efforts.

Marketing is a broad and multi faceted area, so it can be easily misunderstood. Perhaps it doesn’t do a great job of marketing itself?! Maybe it needs some help… A common trap is believing marketing is just about advertising. That’s just one tool that can be used – although it’s not always effective if some essential groundwork is missed. Also it’s worth noting, advertising campaigns are usually set for a particular time scale – so what happens after that ends? If there is no plan other than to run more ads, the costs start building up. Branding, content marketing, and market research are all important aspects that feed into buyer decision making. When businesses make mistakes and poor decisions, it’s strategy that pulls that back in line with goals. The key is to learn from those mistakes, manage the risk and keep moving forward. Successful businesses are always evolving and adapting their marketing strategies to stay ahead of the competition and provide better care for their customers.

Marketing your business is essential, but doesn’t have to be a difficult or painful process. After all, in its simplest form, marketing is just about finding ways to let people know about your product or service. It spreads the word, engages would-be buyers, and opens doors of opportunity. However, many people make the mistake of thinking that marketing is all about selling. As a result, they end up feeling like they’re constantly trying to sell something, and that can feel uneasy. Remember, marketing and sales are two different things. Marketing is the process of creating a strategy and plan to target the right kind of customer for a business, or the product or service they offer. Strategy maps out how to go about that, and crucially how to measure the effectiveness of the action taken by the business. Selling is a part of the marketing process, but usually takes place one-to-one with the buyer. 

So if you’re feeling pressure to sell at every opportunity, it’s time to step back and re-evaluate your strategy. A desperate, reactive marketing approach is missing out on opportunities to get to know your customers better and shape your offering to be the best solution to their problems. Your marketing should have a clear strategy and purpose – without that, you’re just flailing around and hoping something will stick. 

Hope is a powerful thing. It can give you the strength to keep going when things are tough, and it can help you to see the light at the end of the tunnel. However, hope is only part of the equation. In order to turn your dreams into reality, you need to take action. This means being diligent and working hard, even when you don’t feel like it. It means putting in the effort day after day, even when you don’t see any immediate results. Instead, use strategy in alignment with your hopes and dreams. Set goals, create a plan for how you will work towards them, then carry out the activities needed to make that plan work. Taking the time to develop a solid marketing strategy means you’ll be able to make better use of your resources and start seeing improved results. Those results could be the sales you’re hoping for.