Marketing Your Small Business? Avoid These Common Myths

Marketing your small business, many small business owners shy away from marketing their businesses. While there are a variety of reasons for this, most of them have nothing to do with money.

When a small business owner decides to invest in marketing, they are usually well aware of the investment it will take and don’t mind making such an investment. The problem is, they usually have an unrealistic view of what a solid marketing strategy should look like. This makes it difficult for them to stay the course and they often they panic before they see tangible results.

What follows are four of the most common myths many small business owners have when it comes to marketing their business. If they are able to see past these myths, however, they will soon find that every dollar they spend on marketing their business is a dollar well spent.

Myth #1: Marketing has to be flashy. The key to successful marketing is that it motivates people to take action. Sure, we have all cried at greeting card commercials but did we go out and buy a card? It is nice if your marketing campaign is memorable but that isn’t the most important thing. If it drives traffic to your website and helps you convert sales, it is worth it – tears or no tears.

Myth #2: Great marketing means instant results. While it’s true that you may see a spike in sales from a limited-time offer or flash sale, repeat customers are not driven by the lowest price. Instead truly effective marketing means solving a problem that your target audience is experiencing or making their lives easier. Throw in a discount or sale along the way and it adds up to a loyal customer base. This all takes time, however, so patience is critical.

Myth #3: The more I spend on marketing, the better results. Spending more money may get you more attention at first but that attention usually doesn’t add up to sales. Instead, you want a plan that carefully targets your ideal customers. The upside is you will probably need to spend less money even though it will end up being more successful in terms of qualified leads and sales conversions.

Myth #4: Digital marketing is best for large companies. Your customers and prospects are online – regardless of what you are selling. When was the last time someone used a phone book? If people need your products or services, there really is no other place than online for them to look.

Finally, many small business owners are under the mistaken impression that they have to do it all themselves. The fact is, outsourcing their marketing usually makes the most sense because they get a much better ROI than if they tried to do it all in-house. And while it used to be that only larger companies could afford to hire an outside marketing firm, this is just another myth that keeps small businesses from seeing all of the advantages of marketing!