I’ve met many people who are new in business and are struggling to get going. They are finding the first few years really tough and are wondering when it will get easier. I’ve also met a large number of people who have been running their own businesses for a number of years who are struggling to keep going.
When I look at the problems that these businesses have, I see some similarities. I think there are nine Massive Marketing Mistakes that all these businesses are making. These mistakes prevent you from enjoying the freedom that running your own business is supposed to bring you. I have built these nine Massive Mistakes (or rather the results of avoiding them) into a clever process that you can apply, in order to build the business you want – one that isn’t struggling to survive!
In this issue of Scribbles is a summary of the first four Massive Mistakes. Are you avoiding them?
Massive Marketing Mistake Number One – Being the Same as Everyone Else
To win business, you need to stand out from the crowd. To do this, you need to show potential clients why your business is different from your competitors.
I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve heard business owners say “My business is different because we’re the cheapest/best/most unique.” You can’t all be the cheapest or the best or the most unique!
Too many businesses don’t put enough effort into working out what really makes them different. You’ve probably heard of USPs – Unique Selling Propositions – and you might even have yours written down somewhere. But does it really show potential clients how you can help them better than another business? Does it connect with their emotions? We all make emotional decisions about what to buy and who to buy it from – not rational decisions. You need to know how your service helps people on an emotional level.
How do you avoid the first Massive Marketing Mistake? Work out what really makes your business different – your Emotional USP (eUSP).
Find out here what a eUSP is, how to define yours and how to use it to stand out from the crowd.
Massive Marketing Mistake Number Two – Lack of Business Goals
The second Massive Marketing Mistake that too many business owners make is not having clear goals for their business. They don’t know where they want to go.
How often do you get into your car and just drive? Where do you end up? Do you get to where you wanted to go, or do you just go for a nice drive in the countryside? If your business is just about having a ‘nice drive’ then it’s fine to meander along without following a map. However, if you want to build a business that earns you the sort of income that you deserve to earn, without working seven days a week and more hours than is good for you, then you need a goal – a destination.
How do you avoid the second Massive Marketing Mistake? Decide where you want to go! This could be the number of clients you want to work with. It could be the amount of turnover or profit margin that you want to achieve. It could be the number of staff you employ. Knowing your goals will help you plan the most appropriate, cost effective marketing to help you reach them.
Read more about avoiding this Massive Marketing Mistake here.
Massive Marketing Mistake Number Three – Chasing New Clients
Massive Marketing Mistake Number Three is not knowing how to achieve your goals. It's thinking that you need to invest all of your limited time and budget into trying to take on new clients, or develop new services to sell to your clients.
How do you avoid Massive Marketing Mistake Number Three? Focus your business on looking after your existing clients rather than chasing new ones. Unless you have a completely new business that doesn't yet have any clients, you will have at least one. They are far more important than potential clients and can actually help you find new ones.
Massive Marketing Mistake Number Four – Trying to Work with Everyone
Massive Marketing Mistake Number Four is thinking that everyone will want to work with you and trying to persuade everyone to do so. You need to specialise and focus on targeting specific clients and that’s what we’ll look at in this fourth blog in the series.
How do you avoid Massive Marketing Mistake Number Four? Focus your attention and your marketing on finding ideal clients. Work out what makes them tick and what makes them nice people to work with. Decide what they’re allowed to expected from you. When you’re clear on this, non-ideal clients will stop calling you and ideal clients will find their way to you.
How many of these Massive Marketing Mistakes are you making? What are you going to do to stop making them and get your marketing working?
Want to Avoid All the Massive Marketing Mistakes?
- Would you like to find out how best to look after your existing clients?
- Do you want to know exactly who your ideal clients are?
We’ll be writing more about Mistakes Three and Four in our blog (with a telling you what Mistakes Five to Nine are in the next issue of Scribbles.) If you don’t want to wait and you want to start avoiding all the mistakes now, there is another way.
In April 2015 we’re launching the first of our Marketing MasterClasses, where we’ll be helping small groups of small business owners to avoid all the Massive Marketing Mistakes. We’ve made most of these mistakes at some time over 15 years of running a small business, so we know exactly how to help you avoid them and grow a flourishing business.
Marketing MasterClass groups will meet every month, to build marketing momentum and receive ongoing support. You won’t be following a process – you’ll be receiving the specific help that your business needs. Places on each group are limited,
so to find out more, click here to book your place!
