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When launching a business, marketing is of paramount importance. This is something you will already be aware of. After all, if you do not market your new business effectively, how do you expect to drum up interest and secure customers? You cannot afford to make any mistakes in this regard, yet many start-up owners do. So, let’s take a look at some of the most common marketing mistakes start-up owners make, so that you can avoid them…
Failing to measure results – Let’s start at the end, and this is with measuring results. If you do not measure how your marketing campaigns are performing, how do you expect to improve them? You need to track everything you do when you spend money on marketing. It is important to know what sort of traction you are getting from a certain campaign, otherwise you will have no idea as to whether you are getting a return on your investment.
Overlooking all marketing opportunities – Another common mistake that a lot of start-up owners make is failing to consider all options. There are so many marketing solutions available today, and so it is important to assess all of your options before drawing up a marketing strategy. Don’t only look at online solutions either. Fleet and transit graphic design services are ideal for companies that are going to have a number of vehicles on the road. You should also look into sponsorship opportunities as well, as this can be a great way to get word out about your business.
Handling it all yourself – It can be very admirable to try and handle everything in-house. However, you will often find that outside assistance is the best option, especially when it comes to something as important as marketing. Plus, it is likely that you will have plenty of other elements of your start-up that require attention. If you have the expertise in-house to make your marketing campaign a success, fair enough. But if you don’t, you’re going to spend a lot more time and money by attempting to do everything yourself.
Directly taking marketing strategies from your competitors – You are advised to find out what the competition is doing. It is a good idea to assess their marketing campaigns – how they approach them and the success of them. If a competitor is doing something well, it can be tempting to simply copy them. However, you are never going to stand out in your industry if you are simply doing what everyone else is doing. Note what your competitors are doing, take inspiration from what they are doing well, avoid what they are doing wrong, but most importantly, make sure you stand out from the crowd and devise a marketing campaign that is perfectly suited to your consumer base.
Giving everyone a voice in marketing decisions – It can be very tempting to give everyone a say when you first start up a business. Everyone seems to have an opinion on what you should and should not be doing. One of the most important things you should recognise early on in business is that you simply cannot please everyone. You don’t need to pass your marketing ideas around to everyone that will listen.
Staffing up your marketing effort too quickly – You already recognise how important marketing is to your business, which is why you may be tempted to bring the best of the best in to build up your brand as quickly as possible. However, you don’t want to run the risk of expanding too quickly.
Speaking through the wrong marketing channels – You can engage with your customers through a number of marketing channels. Where a lot of start-up owners go wrong is by choosing channels that do not appeal to their audience. You need to understand your audience before you can proceed with your marketing efforts. You need to know where your audience is and how to grab their attention. Once you have done this, you can then put together a marketing strategy that directly appeals to them, and you will be able to do so through the right channel.
If you can avoid the marketing mistakes that have been discussed above, you can give yourself the best chance of giving your start-up a good start. You will get word out about your company, and you will ensure that you are putting your marketing budget to best use.