Is GROWING Your Paycheck On Your 2020 Goal List?

In the twelve years that I have been working with marketing teams small business owners all over the world, I’ve seen a tragic statistic unfold right before my eyes: 50% of businesses fail in the first five years. Sad and true all at the same time.

Another thing I’ve noticed is that the businesses that are committed to a marketing plan and willing to change with the trends often succeed a lot faster than those who try to apply old school marketing tactics year over year. Don’t get me wrong, traditional advertising still works when done strategically, but you can’t ignore online and social media any longer. Here’s a list of three more of the biggest mistakes small businesses make in marketing.

Mistake #1 They don’t have a plan. As I say to my clients, “P-L-A-N is the four letter word for success!” Take time to write out your strategy for 2020, even if it’s just sticky notes on your wall. However, if you can give it a little more time, you might see greater results. Schedule some time in the next couple of weeks to create a strategy for next year, so that after the holidays are over, you’re ready to hit the ground running. I have a resource for this: learn more.

Mistake #2 They wait for everything to be perfect. I hate to see businesses who aren’t marketing because they’re waiting for the perfect logo, or the website to be updated for the 900th time, or they need to get more feedback from friends before they feel like they can more forward. I’m not suggesting you put out half baked ideas on a regular basis, but identify where perfectionism is paralyzing your business. Get some feedback, make some changes and then LAUNCH, don’t wait. It will never be perfect. ALL businesses and ALL marketing is a work in progress.

Mistake #3 They aren’t consistent. Do you want regular paychecks? Then WHY do you do sporadic marketing? I see too many small businesses who run campaigns when they need the money, but then they don’t have money so they don’t market effectively. Marketing is fuel for your business. It’s like food for the body. You wouldn’t survive on sporadic meals- a month here and a month there, your body needs regular nutrition. Your business needs regular marketing. When you’re creating your 2020 plan, make sure you include regular marketing efforts for regular results.

Mistake #4 Their target market is too broad. It sounds like generic marketing advice, but this year, more than ever we’ve been helping our clients create narrow focused niches and their sales are skyrocketing. If you want better results narrow your marketing and start sharing better messages that meet their needs.

If you’d like help creating your 2020 marketing plan, I have an event coming up November 21 & 22. You can join via LIVESTREAM from anywhere in the world. If you can give me two days, you’ll have a greater understanding of the latest marketing trends AND you’ll have a marketing plan for 2020. This is the seventh year I’ve done this event and each year it gets better, and each year we cover trends that can’t be missed. I’ve created this event to be VERY hands on. The activities we complete in those two days walk you through everything from niching your target market, to choosing your marketing outlets to creating a marketing budget, to connecting your audience on social media  AND I show you how to track and measure your results. I only host this event once a year, so don’t miss it!

Happy marketing!