The Biggest Marketing Mistake Businesses Make

One of the biggest mistakes a business owner can make is having no marketing strategy at all.

Many businesses operate without a clear plan, hoping customers will continue to come in on their own. The reality is that growth rarely happens by accident. A successful business needs a strategy, and more importantly, it needs consistent execution.

Step 1: Have a Strategy

The first step is simple: create a marketing and advertising strategy. Your strategy doesn't have to be complicated, but it should provide direction and help you stay focused on activities that generate results.  You have to know where you are going if you're going to get where you want to go.  This sounds like an oversimplification, but way to many business owners are advertising to "just get more customers."  More customers might kill your business!  You need to know who you want before trying to go get more!  Once you've figured out who your best customer is, you can do research, collect data, test advertising and figure out how to attract the right people.

Step 2: Implement the Strategy

A strategy is only valuable if you actually put it into action. Consistent implementation is what separates businesses that grow from those that stay stagnant.  Start doing  what you can, when you run out of tasks that match your skills (even with Chat's help) you may need to seek additional help or education.  Until then get to work!

One of the most important parts of any marketing strategy should be following up with existing customers and leads.  Don't Forget to Follow Up - It sounds so simple but it's the cause of a tremendous amount of missed revenue for lots of businesses.

If someone has requested an estimate, reached out with questions, or communicated with your business in any way, make sure you're following up with them.
This could be as simple as a phone call that says:

"Your estimate is still valid for another five days. Would you like to schedule that service?"

Or perhaps a follow-up email after a completed job:

"Are you happy with the service you received? Is there anything else we can help you with?"

It could even be a maintenance reminder:

"It's been a year since your last service appointment. It's time for a technician to come back out and make sure everything is running properly."

The specific message isn't as important as the act of following up consistently.

Your Best Customers Are Often the Ones You Already Have

Existing customers and previous leads already know who you are. They've interacted with your business, they recognize your brand, and they've already built a level of trust with you.  These are the easiest consumers to win over to your side.  Because of that, they're often far more likely to buy from you again than someone who has never heard of your company before.  These people know, like, and trust you; essential elements in any relationship.

Too many businesses spend all of their time and money chasing new customers while neglecting the people who already know, like, and trust them.

A simple follow-up process can lead to more bookings, more repeat business, and more revenue without requiring a massive advertising budget.

If you're looking for one place to start improving your marketing today, start by following up with the people who have already shown interest in your business.  If you need help with that, click the Schedule button below to set a time to talk or give Frontline Marketing a call!