The Biggest Marketing Mistakes Small Businesses Make (and How to Avoid Them)

Welcome to another deep dive into the world of small business marketing! In this post, we're tackling a topic that's crucial for any entrepreneur looking to grow their business: the common marketing mistakes that can derail even the most promising ventures. Drawing insights from marketing expert Julie Matzen, we'll explore these pitfalls and, more importantly, provide actionable strategies to avoid them.

This blog post complements our latest podcast episode, Julie Matzen Reveals What Most Marketers Get Wrong, where Julie shares her extensive experience and provides invaluable advice for small business owners. I highly suggest checking it out for even more insights!

Let’s jump right in!

The Marketing Maze for Small Businesses

Navigating the world of marketing can feel like wandering through a maze, especially for small businesses with limited resources. The digital landscape is constantly evolving, with new platforms and strategies emerging all the time. It's easy to get caught up in the latest trends or feel pressured to try every marketing tactic under the sun. However, this approach often leads to wasted time, money, and effort.

One of the biggest challenges small businesses face is the lack of expertise and dedicated marketing personnel. Many entrepreneurs are forced to wear multiple hats, juggling sales, operations, and marketing. This can lead to a reactive, rather than proactive, approach to marketing, where decisions are made on the fly without a clear strategy or understanding of the target audience.

In this post, we'll uncover the most common marketing mistakes small businesses make and provide a roadmap for steering clear of these pitfalls. We’ll cover everything from neglecting strategic planning to misusing AI, offering practical solutions and expert insights to help you maximize your marketing ROI.

Meet Julie Matzen: Marketing Expert and Founder of Boarderline

Before we dive into the mistakes, let’s meet our expert, Julie Matzen. With over 25 years of experience working with major brands like Sherwin-Williams, Oura, and Yale Smart Locks, Julie has a wealth of knowledge to share. She is the founder of Mayday Agency and co-founder of Boarderline, a groundbreaking advisory platform that connects startups and small business owners to elite industry experts.

Julie's mission is to make high-level guidance accessible to entrepreneurs at every stage of growth. Her experience spans from traditional PR to digital marketing, providing her with a unique perspective on what works and what doesn't. Her insights are particularly valuable for small businesses looking to make the most of their limited marketing budgets.

Throughout this post, we'll be drawing on Julie's expertise to provide practical advice and actionable strategies for avoiding common marketing pitfalls.

Mistake 1: Trying to Be Everything to Everyone (and Why It Doesn't Work)

One of the most common mistakes small businesses make is trying to appeal to everyone. This approach, often driven by a fear of missing out on potential customers, can lead to a diluted brand message and ineffective marketing efforts.

Julie emphasizes that "everyone is not your customer." Trying to cater to a broad audience means spreading your resources thin and failing to connect with anyone in a meaningful way. Instead, small businesses should focus on identifying their ideal customer and tailoring their marketing efforts to reach that specific audience.

To avoid this mistake, start by defining your target audience. Consider factors such as demographics, interests, behaviors, and pain points. Conduct market research to gain a deeper understanding of your ideal customer. Once you have a clear picture of your target audience, you can create marketing messages and campaigns that resonate with them on a personal level.

Niching down can be scary, but it allows you to become an expert in your field and build a loyal customer base. It's better to be the go-to solution for a specific group of people than to be a generic option for everyone.

Mistake 2: Neglecting Strategic Planning and a Solid Business Plan

Another critical mistake small businesses make is neglecting strategic planning and a solid business plan. Many entrepreneurs jump into marketing without a clear understanding of their goals, target market, or competitive landscape. This can lead to a scattershot approach to marketing, where efforts are disjointed and ineffective.

A well-defined business plan is essential for setting goals, identifying target markets, and outlining your overall marketing strategy. It provides a roadmap for your business, helping you stay focused and make informed decisions. Strategic planning involves analyzing your current situation, identifying opportunities and threats, and developing a plan to achieve your desired outcomes.

Julie stresses the importance of taking the time to create a comprehensive business plan that includes marketing goals, strategies, and tactics. This plan should be reviewed and updated regularly to ensure it remains relevant and aligned with your business objectives.

Without a solid business plan, your marketing efforts are likely to be misguided and ineffective. Invest the time and effort into developing a comprehensive plan to guide your marketing decisions and ensure you're on the right track.

Mistake 3: Misunderstanding PR vs. Paid Media

Many small businesses struggle to differentiate between public relations (PR) and paid media, often viewing them as interchangeable. However, these are distinct marketing strategies with different goals and approaches.

PR focuses on building relationships with media outlets, influencers, and other stakeholders to generate positive coverage and build brand awareness. It's about earning media attention through compelling stories and thought leadership.

Paid media, on the other hand, involves paying for advertising space to reach your target audience. This can include online ads, social media ads, print ads, and other forms of paid promotion.

Julie emphasizes that PR and paid media should be used strategically and in conjunction with each other. PR can help build credibility and brand awareness, while paid media can drive traffic and generate leads. Understanding the strengths and weaknesses of each approach is crucial for developing an effective marketing strategy.

Small businesses often make the mistake of focusing solely on paid media, neglecting the potential benefits of PR. By building relationships with media outlets and crafting compelling stories, you can earn valuable media coverage that can significantly boost your brand's reputation and reach.

Mistake 4: Overlooking Personalization and Strategy for "Cute Content"

In today's digital landscape, it's easy to get caught up in creating visually appealing or "cute" content without considering its strategic value. While engaging content is important, it should always be aligned with your marketing goals and target audience.

Julie warns against prioritizing aesthetics over substance. "Cute content" that doesn't resonate with your target audience or contribute to your overall marketing strategy is simply a waste of time and resources. Instead, focus on creating personalized content that addresses the needs and interests of your ideal customer.

Personalization involves tailoring your marketing messages and content to specific segments of your audience. This can include using customer data to create targeted ads, sending personalized emails, or creating content that addresses specific pain points. By personalizing your marketing efforts, you can increase engagement, build stronger relationships with your customers, and drive better results.

Don't get caught up in creating content for the sake of it. Always start with a clear understanding of your marketing goals and target audience, and then develop content that is both engaging and strategically aligned.

Mistake 5: Ineffective Use of AI in Marketing

Artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming the marketing landscape, offering new opportunities for automation, personalization, and data analysis. However, many small businesses are struggling to use AI effectively, often due to a lack of understanding or a fear of technology.

Julie emphasizes that AI should be used as a tool to enhance your marketing efforts, not replace them entirely. AI can help you automate repetitive tasks, analyze data to identify trends and insights, and personalize marketing messages to improve engagement.

However, it's important to remember that AI is only as good as the data it's trained on. If your data is incomplete or inaccurate, the results will be unreliable. Additionally, AI should be used ethically and responsibly, ensuring that you're not violating privacy laws or creating biased marketing campaigns.

Small businesses should focus on using AI to improve their existing marketing processes, rather than trying to implement complex AI solutions without a clear understanding of their needs. Start with simple AI tools and gradually expand your use of AI as you become more comfortable with the technology.

How Boarderline Can Help Small Businesses Avoid These Mistakes

So, how can small businesses avoid these costly marketing mistakes? That's where Boarderline comes in. As a business advisory platform founded by Julie Matzen, Boarderline connects small business owners with elite industry experts who can provide guidance and support. By building an advisory board through Boarderline, small businesses can gain access to the expertise they need to make informed marketing decisions and avoid common pitfalls.

Boarderline offers a cost-effective way to tap into the knowledge and experience of seasoned marketing professionals. With Boarderline, you can build a custom advisory board tailored to your specific needs and goals.

This helps to take the pressure off of entrepreneurs who are trying to do it all, and instead offers advice from experts who know what they are doing. Julie has designed an amazing service that helps small businesses navigate all the roadblocks that can occur, and puts them in the best position to succeed with a panel of expert advisors.

Building an Advisory Board on a Budget

One of the biggest challenges for small businesses is finding affordable access to expert advice. Traditionally, building an advisory board involves significant costs, including fees, equity, and other incentives. However, Boarderline offers a more accessible and budget-friendly solution.

Boarderline allows small businesses to build an advisory board on a project basis, paying only for the expertise they need when they need it. This eliminates the need for long-term contracts or equity stakes, making it a more affordable option for startups and small businesses.

Additionally, Boarderline provides access to a diverse pool of experts from various industries and backgrounds. This allows you to build an advisory board with the specific skills and knowledge needed to address your unique challenges and opportunities.

By leveraging Boarderline, small businesses can gain access to the expert guidance they need without breaking the bank. This can be a game-changer for startups and small businesses looking to grow and scale their operations.

The Future of Advertising and Attribution in a Post-Cookie World

The advertising landscape is constantly evolving, particularly with the phasing out of third-party cookies. This change is forcing marketers to rethink their strategies and find new ways to track attribution and measure the effectiveness of their campaigns.

Julie emphasizes the importance of focusing on first-party data and building direct relationships with customers. By collecting and analyzing your own data, you can gain a deeper understanding of your target audience and create more personalized marketing experiences.

Additionally, small businesses should explore alternative attribution models that don't rely on third-party cookies. This can include using multi-touch attribution, which assigns credit to multiple touchpoints along the customer journey, or using marketing mix modeling, which analyzes the impact of various marketing channels on overall sales.

The future of advertising will be more focused on privacy, personalization, and data-driven decision-making. Small businesses that adapt to these changes will be better positioned to succeed in the long run.

Resources: Mayday Agency, Boarderline, and More

To help you on your marketing journey, here are some valuable resources mentioned by Julie Matzen:

• Mayday Agency: Julie's marketing agency, offering a wide range of services to help businesses grow.
• Boarderline: The business advisory platform connecting small businesses with elite industry experts.
• Sherwin Williams, Cricut, Oura Ring, Yale Smart Locks, Master Lock: Examples of major brands Julie has worked with.
• Brad DeLava – Media expert at Borderline
• Janet Notardonato – Market research expert at Borderline
• Authority Magazine (Medium.com feature)
• LegalZoom, USPTO.gov, SBA, Trulient, SoFi (business/legal tools discussed)

These resources can provide valuable insights, tools, and support to help you navigate the marketing maze and achieve your business goals.

Steering Your Small Business Towards Marketing Success

Avoiding the common marketing mistakes outlined in this post is crucial for small businesses looking to grow and thrive. By focusing on strategic planning, understanding your target audience, leveraging PR and paid media effectively, prioritizing personalization, and using AI wisely, you can significantly improve your marketing ROI.

Remember, marketing is an ongoing process that requires continuous learning, adaptation, and experimentation. Stay informed about the latest trends and technologies, and don't be afraid to try new things. And most importantly, always put your customers first.

I encourage you to listen to the full conversation with Julie Matzen in our latest podcast episode, Julie Matzen Reveals What Most Marketers Get Wrong. It’s packed with even more insights and actionable advice to help you steer your small business towards marketing success. Thanks for reading!