Unless you’re a marketer, you don’t start a business because you want to become one.
The challenge is, that if you want to be in business, you have to get comfortable with it. And you have to do it.
We’ve got access to more marketing tools in small business than ever before. But they don’t necessarily make the marketing part easier.
While it’s easier to reach people than ever before, there are simply not enough hours in the day to do all the marketing we’re told we should be doing, AND do the thing we actually got into our business to do (whatever your zone of genius might be).
Whether you’re doing it solo, or working with someone like me, it’s still one of the most challenging parts of running a business.
But in my experience, most business owners are making marketing harder than it needs to be. Wouldn’t it be nice to take away some of the roadblocks?
Don’t worry, I got you.
Let’s look at the 4 things that are making marketing harder in your business.
Thing #1 – You don’t have a documented strategy
So many small business owners are winging their marketing.
They post a reel. Write a blog. Record a couple of podcasts. Send a few emails to a list (if they have one).
All of this is done inconsistently.
And unfortunately, most of it is done without a strategy.
I want to start by pointing out one of the biggest mistakes you can make in marketing. And that is confusing tactics with strategy.
Your strategy maps where you want to go and why you want to go there.
The tactics are what brings your strategy to life. Tactics are the things you’re going to implement to help you get to where you want to go.
When your marketing isn’t working, you change the tactics. You don’t change the strategy.
And having a strategy helps you get to the right tactics more quickly. Because instead of throwing mud at the wall and hoping it sticks, you’ll know which wall to throw it at, why you’re throwing it, and the exact consistency of the mud you’re going to fling.
There’s also huge merit in making sure your strategy isn’t stored in your head. Writing it down makes it real. It means you can follow it.
You’ll be much less likely to invest in things that don’t serve your strategy. And you’ll be able to get people to help you implement it whenever you’re ready to invest in that.
Thing #2 – You don’t know who it’s for
As amazing as your business is, you are not for everyone.
This is why the second thing you might be doing to make marketing harder than it needs to be is not having clarity on your target market.
You need to get really clear on the beliefs, fears and motivations of the people you want to serve.
You need a clear client persona. A clear brand voice that connects with them. And messaging that helps nurture them to know they belong – that you are the solution for them.
Because if your marketing isn’t speaking specifically to those people, then your marketing is speaking to nobody.
Thing #3 – You don’t have a marketing system
In the same way that having no strategy makes it hard to work out how to market, not having a system for how you manage your marketing makes it hard to keep on top of your efforts.
Now, when I say you don’t have a marketing system, I’m not talking specifically about technology.
I’m talking about the way to keep track of the content you need to create, the posts you need to share, who is responsible for what and how you’re going to repurpose all the great content you create.
Now this might include some technology. Perhaps a third party social media management tool or AI like Claude or ChatGPT.
But it might just be a spreadsheet. Or a digital to do list.
The system doesn’t have to be complicated. It just has to support the strategy.
Lots of people equate successful marketing with creativity. And I get it. Because we look at big marketing or advertising campaigns with giant budgets and think “Wow! That was so clever!”
But small business is different. For us, marketing success is only about 20% creativity. The other 80% is strategy and systems.
Is your system the thing that’s letting you down?
Thing #4 – You tell yourself you’re not good at marketing
This last one is all about mindset. If you sit down to do your marketing, but are convinced you aren’t good at it, then that’s the result you’ll likely get.
It’s self-fulfilling prophecy. And you’ll be able to say “See! I knew I wasn’t good at marketing!”
What if you flipped that mindset?
You got into your business to deliver a product or service you believed was needed. You’re good at what you do, and you can make the lives of the people you serve better by doing it.
That deserves to be talked about. And all the best marketing is a conversation.
I’m not going to lie. Developing the right mindset around marketing can be tricky. You can have the best strategy, know your client deeply and having a good marketing system. But these won’t help if you can’t manage your mindset.
You might also find that not having a strategy, not knowing your client and not having a good marketing system are all contributing to your negative mindset.
One of the best ways to improve your mindset around marketing is to choose just one thing to master.
If you take away some of the overwhelm of trying to do everything all at once, and instead become confident with delivering a single thing in your marketing machine, you’ll be on your way to changing your marketing mindset.
I’m on a mission to make marketing less overwhelming
To be successful in small business, there are a lot of things we have to learn beyond the thing we built our business around.
Marketing is one of those things.
But it doesn’t have to be as hard as we’re making it.
Do the work of documenting your strategy. Take the time to really understand who your customer is. Build a marketing system that supports what you need to create. Manage your mindset.
You don’t have to become a master of marketing. Just a master of marketing for YOUR business.
