How to Overcome Small Business Marketing Hurdles

​The most common small business marketing hurdle is budgeting time and money. Both come at a premium and marketing is so often sacrificed because of all you are juggling.

Getting the word out on your product or service, educating your audiences, and staying top of mind, however, is an absolute must if you want to build on your current success or even maintain what you currently have. Attrition is a natural part of being in any business. In other words, you should expect a certain amount of business to drop off for a variety of reasons over time. And for this reason, your business development strategy and marketing goals should always account for bringing in more business than you may currently need.

Marketing strategy and planning can look somewhat different depending on where you are in your growth journey and how seasoned your leaders are.

Small Business Marketing Hurdles if You’re Just Getting Started
Small start-ups often get stuck on where to start. All marketing feels essential - where should you focus your efforts? The fact is that each small business hurdle is unique depending on how nuanced your audience is, how complex your product or service is, and the level of competition you’re facing.

Getting your marketing started takes slowing down for a minute to get a few ducks in place. Ask yourself these fundamental questions to get the ball rolling.

• What is your reason for being in business - meaning what problem do you solve for your clients?
• What makes you special? It can be customization, quality, speed, niche, location…
• What resources do you have in your corner, such as network, equipment, and skill level?
• What are your top concerns or goals? Are you understaffed or overstaffed; are you having trouble getting the attention of your ideal audience; are you gun-shy because of your tight budget?

Small Business Marketing Hurdles if You’ve Been Around for a While
It seems to go without saying that a business established years ago has different marketing challenges than businesses just getting launched, but in reality, the same basic principles apply. You just need to look at your specific hurdle from a different angle. 

• Are you engaging the next generation of clients? Are you meeting them where they are looking for you (read: which social media and how does AI fit in)?
• How is your product or service relevant now vs. one, five, or even 40 years ago (like RadioShack)?
• Are your customers worried that you will somehow disappear? For example, what happens to your business if you retire?

Getting your biggest worries out of your 2AM thoughts and into your marketing tactics can help you figure out not only the first or next step, but it can also help set your trajectory for the future. That dot on the horizon makes it easier to see and execute on your next steps.

Partnering with a marketing planning and execution team can also help. GoFish Communications and Nisse Designs have joined forces to offer Go Marketing specifically to help you overcome your small business marketing hurdles. Our hands-on and very modular approach focuses on providing the solutions you need within the budget you have. We’re on your team! Here’s how you can learn more or set up a time to talk. We look forward to hearing from you.

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Laurie Fish McDowell | Founder & Principal Consultant