Opening a brand-new business is already a ton of work. Yet, the work isn’t over after you’ve gathered what you need and have found a place to set up. You need to get the word out, or no one will buy from you. Marketing is tricky, but we can help you avoid some of its biggest traps and pitfalls. Be wary of these common marketing mistakes that new businesses make to succeed.
Not Checking Your Competitor’s Marketing
When you’re just starting, you don’t really know for sure what will work best. There’s no shame in examining what your competitors are doing to understand what might work for you. In fact, practically every business takes cues from their competitors for their marketing so that they know that they’re still competitive.
Neglecting Brand Awareness
If people aren’t aware of your brand, your product or service will likely get looked over in favor of a brand that customers recognize more. No matter how incredible your product or service is, a weak brand can hamstring it before it even gets a chance to take off. Acquiring effective business signage, spreading your name on social media, and reaching out to potential customers are huge components of successful marketing because they all help people become familiar with your brand, which builds trust and understanding.
Misunderstanding Your Target Customers
A common mistake many new businesses make with their marketing is thinking they know their customer better than they do. You might have a clear idea in your head about who your target customers are, but that may not reflect reality. As you start to grow, you’ll need to take careful stock of the customers you’re getting and their preferences. No matter what kind of image you want your business to have, it isn’t worth anything if it doesn’t appeal to the people who want to buy your product or service.
Not Adjusting Based on Analytics
Marketing analytics isn’t glamorous, but it’s vital to your success. Analyzing how well your marketing efforts work will better inform you about how you can improve, as well as what’s working and what isn’t. Many businesses start a marketing effort but never take the time to analyze whether that investment is actually paying off in terms of sales and customers. Don’t fall into this trap; make sure you carefully look at your analytics before you continue your strategy.
Marketing comes with lots of pitfalls, but when you know what to expect, you can avoid a lot more of them on your way to a successful marketing strategy that serves you in the long run.
