No data collection

Customer leads and sales data is king. If you do not collect or have systems in place for these key sets of data then you are missing out. Huge value is placed on commercial data and having a good database will add value to your business both in turnover and actual business sales.

A quick fix for this common problem is to start collecting emails. Have a location for customer emails and info. Make sure you collect emails from leads and put effort into building a significant dataset. Social media is also another great place to download huge amounts of data the analysis of which can really inform future marketing plans.

A lack of business beliefs

Does your business believe in anything? The core of all great marketing is a belief that is shared with your key customers. Many businesses that have been around for a while forget what this is for them as they get bogged down in routine and day-to-day tasks.

To fix this think about why you set up your business. What problems do you solve for your customers? Why are you better than your competitors? Once you have the answers to the above, sum it up in a single sentence? This sentence is your mission statement and should be used as the core to all your marketing.

Few digital assets

In the modern social media age, content is the key to success. However, many established businesses do not have any digital assets. By this, we mean photos of staff, photos of the office or even information about what they do.

The fix to this mistake is simple. Decide what you can and cannot show to your customers. Next, spend a little time every week snapping interesting photos on your phone and share these with your customers. Believe it or not, we want to know what is going on in your office and what you are up to so please show us.

The absence of a marketing plan

We only have 11 months left of 2017. Do you have a plan for how you are going to market your business? Do not worry as this is also a common failure within established businesses. If you do not have a plan it is easy to lose direction and fall off the marketing wagon.

Put some time aside and think about how you are going to get your messages to your customers. How are you going to generate leads? What is your call to action? Divide up 2017 into the remaining months. Anticipate quiet months, major events and plan for them. Know what you are going to do and get ahead of your competitors.

DIY marketing

As an established business you will pay for an accountant, maybe a solicitor, maybe a bookkeeper, maybe business mentors and maybe admin staff. Why would you also choose to manage your own marketing? DIY marketing is, for us as the experts, immediately noticeable. It will be to your customers too.

Work out what your time is worth per hour. Work out how many hours a month you spend on marketing your own business and look at paying that figure to marketing professionals. Make sure the professionals you choose are going to do the work for you rather than telling you what needs doing. With the right marketing team backing up your business you will be amazed at the amount of time and stress you will save.

Summary

Ok, we are a little biased to the last common marketing fail but please do look at addressing any of these common failures this year. 2017 is still fresh and you have an opportunity to make it a huge success for your business and yourself. Address these common issues and succeed.

If you need any advice, please do not hesitate to get in contact. We love helping established businesses resolve their marketing issues and appearing as they should on social media. If this article has been of help please recommend us and share with others.