Posted on: 8th Apr. 2022

Small things can make a big difference. The devil is always in the detail. Here’s three small marketing mistakes that non-marketing SME leaders can make that can make a big difference, and how to avoid them.

Not talking to your customers is one of the most common marketing mistakes that business owners make.

Knowing your customers …. what challenges they are facing, what opportunities they have, what’s happening in their business and in their market saves businesses time and money because of the insights knowing this provides. Market research, focus groups, accompanied shops, surveys and good old fashioned chats with customers all provide detailed insights and analysis of how customers will respond to marketing efforts. This in turn will help you identify ineffective or unpopular ideas before you put them into practice.

Seeing how real people respond to your product / service is invaluable.

Focusing on attracting new customers, and forgetting the income created by existing, is a common marketing error.

Research shows that new customer acquisition is at least five times harder than retaining an existing customer. 

Existing customers already have trust in your brand and your products and they know what to expect from you. Plus the more a customer buys from you, the more likely they are to continue buying and become loyal ambassadors for your brand.

If your marketing strategies are only directed at new customers, or more heavily focussed on attracting new customers, you could be missing a very important segment of your market. Devote at least as much time and resources to encouraging repeat purchases as you do to acquiring new ones.