Avoid The Biggest Marketing Mistake Small Business Owners Make That Can Put Them Out Of Business

If you’ve invested a small fortune on your website with no fruitful results, this article will explain why and what to do about it before you run out of money!

Everyday I meet a small business owner that tells me “I just spent $5,000 on a website and I don’t think it’s doing anything to help my business…will you have a look and tell me what you think”

It’s not what you think

These people that ask me to look at their site are often focused on the font or the color or a photo – they just can’t figure out what went wrong and why the process was a nightmare. So I’m going to tell you why…

The Biggest mistake that small business owners make that put them out of business is putting tactics before strategy. This probably doesn’t mean much to you but I’m going to explain it and hopefully you’ll have a giant ah ha moment.

Putting tactics before strategy

When I talk about tactics, I’m referring to your website, your blog, your business cards, ads etc. the stuff you create to promote and market your business.

The biggest mistake that almost all small business owners are making when it comes to marketing is getting stuff done before they have a strategy in place. I’ve had a 25 year career building global brands for companies like Kraft and Coca Cola and have seen the same problem in the big business world. In the big business world we call it “brand strategy” and here’s what it means:

Your brand strategy is a document (it could be as simple as one page) that details the following information about your business:

• Your vision
• Your ideal Audience
• Your competition and how you stand out
• The personality and values of your business
• The imagery that would accurately represent your business

This brand strategy is the foundation of your business and if you haven’t gone through a process to determine it, it’s like building a house starting on the second floor. This is what the big guys do and it’s the best kept secret from small business. This may be the missing link for you and chances are, not having this strategy can put you out of business because you will continue to waste money on marketing that doesn’t work.

The process to build your strategy:

1. Get clear on your vision – so you know where you’re going
2. Get clear on your ideal audience – not just demographics but what’s their mindset?
3. Get clear on your competition so you stand out. Are you the same or are you different?
4. Get insights from your clients on why you’re special and different. This is your market research.
5. Develop your differentiated message – how do you talk about your business in a way that stands out?
6. Bring your brand to life – now that your strategy is in place, here’s where the tactics come in

I hope you’ve had that ah ha moment and you understand now that with out this strategy in place, it’s hard to grow or stay in business for that matter because you’re investing your money in the wrong direction.

Now it’s time to get busy with that strategy! I’ve created a mini course consisting of 3 short videos that goes into more depth and gives you some next steps. If you’d like to watch it, here’s the link. www.yourbrandboost.com/boost 

About the Author: Rhonda Page has had a 25 year career helping global brands stand out for companies like Kraft and Coca Cola and she’s now teaching small businesses how to stand out authentically, communicate their message and actually be different. She’s been mentored by the best, including Don Watt, the creator of the Home Depot brand and Don Chisholm, creator of Mike’s Hard Lemonade, one of the most successful brand launches in history. Her workbook (Know Your Difference, No Limit Publishing, 2011) and unique programs combine business strategy with the important mindset piece to business success.