So many marketing fiascos, so little time. If your marketing strategy seems off kilter, then it probably is. Luckily, most marketing fiascos can be fixed.
Marketing is hard. Really hard. Many small businesses don’t know what they’re supposed to do. Some don’t understand the potential value of marketing. Others are overwhelmed by the marketing work they’re trying to handle in house. Many are afraid they’ll waste money on bad marketing agencies, bad website developers, bad freelance writers, and bad SEO firms.
Over the past year, businesses’ limited marketing dollars and the glut of options in the industry have made matters worse. Owning a laptop somehow makes someone a skilled copywriter. Owning an iPhone 12 makes someone a professional photographer. Having an Instagram page makes someone a social media guru. Simply saying you’re an agency means you run an agency.
Meet James, a small business owner. He visits a marketing agency’s website at the recommendation of his friend Sara, who knows the agency’s owner. Immediately, he’s taken aback. The site’s content is poorly written, the cutesy font is barely legible, and the color scheme is borderline schizophrenic.
Nowhere does the site clarify the agency’s offerings or value. The site’s About section doesn’t mention a thing about the business.
James doesn’t listen to his gut. He doubts himself at every turn. Instead of moving on, he calls the agency’s owner. They chat about how much they like their mutual friend, Sara, and James ends up hiring what might be the world’s worst agency. (Good news for the agency: they won’t actually win the “worst agency” award since 30,000 other agencies are also in the running, roughly 5,500 of which self-identify as digital agencies.)
|
What We Observe |
What Our Gut Tells Us |
What We Tell Ourselves |
| An agency’s website and social media pages lack a clear, compelling brand message. | Bad at brand strategy | They run an agency, so they must be halfway decent at what they do. |
| A web designer has an ugly, dated website that’s hard to navigate. | Bad at
web design |
I’m not a designer, so I’m not qualified to judge. |
| A copywriter’s site and writing samples are poorly written. | Bad at copywriting | I’m missing something. Writing’s not my forte. |
| A social media guru’s social pages have few followers and low engagement. | Bad at social media marketing | I don’t know three things about social media, so I’ll defer to their expertise. |
In the marketing industry, everyone claims to be an expert. It’s no surprise, then, that it’s extremely difficult for businesses to differentiate between good and bad options and make smart, cost-effective marketing decisions.
Most Marketing Fiascos Can Be Fixed
Enough’s enough. It’s time to reveal what’s behind the marketing curtain. Here, we’ll take a closer look at the 5 most common small business marketing fiascos.
The good news? Most of these marketing fiascos can be fixed on the back end. I know because in 2020 alone I helped more than 100 businesses course correct the marketing crazy they (and their agencies and freelancers) had built. Better yet, most marketing fiascos are entirely preventable on the front end.
Don’t worry. I’ll be diving right in to this important subject early and often. More than that, I’ll be pulling back the marketing veil in order to empower small businesses to survive and thrive — no marketing agencies required. I’m committed to showing you step by step how to protect yourself and your pocketbook — and actually get the high-value marketing work you need.
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