Running a business can be tough.
And it’s especially hard on us small business owners.
We’re required to wear many hats – the accountant, the marketer, the salesperson. The list goes on!
One of these activities should be high on your priority list…
Marketing.
Because the survival of your business hinges on how well you can promote yourself.
If you don’t get yourself out there, how do you expect people will find you?
I’ve made a fair few mistakes during my time in business. And through those mistakes, I’ve armed myself with tactics and strategies that make promoting my business easier, and more effective.
These nuggets of gold are exactly what I teach my clients too inside the Pet Biz Thrive Online Club.
Which means I recognise the most common marketing mistakes pet professionals make, and the top 6 is what I want to share with you today.
So hopefully you can shine a light on your own and take the right steps to fix them.
Inconsistency
This is a big one. Marketing is not a one time deal. You need to show up EVERY . SINGLE . DAY to see results.
You can’t post to social media everyday one week, and have a couple of weeks off the next. To build an audience that loves you and hangs on your every word, you need to be consistent.
But I get it, it can be hard to keep going when it seems like no-one’s listening. When you’re already overwhelmed with everything else going on. Time slips away too easily.
So keep it simple.
Commit to posting a simple tip, image, video, meme, question or poll once a day.
Set aside time in the week to create your posts for the following week. Then use a social scheduler to post for you so you can take the pressure off.
Not tracking results
If you don’t track your results, you won’t know what works.
There’ll be no way to learn from the mistakes you’re making. Which means you won’t improve and you’ll waste time and money on activities that do nothing for you or your business.
Whether that’s checking Google Analytics to see your website’s performance, tracking social media stats, or conversions from an ad campaign.
Make time to understand the results of your marketing activities on a weekly basis. Set goals every month and analyse the data to see if you’re on track.
Check out this post on the 9 Facebook page metrics every pet business owner should track.
You’re a me-too business
If you don’t pin down your uniqueness and positioning, you’ll get trampled on by the competition. You need to give people a damn good reason to choose you.
And you do this by communicating your credentials, your success stories and your view points.
You need to dig deep into the details of who you want to serve, what you want to offer and how you want to offer it.
Think about how you can do that in a way that’s different and better than your competitors.
You have no marketing plan
Without a marketing plan, your chances of success dramatically decrease.
It’s like trying to fix a car with no mechanical knowledge. You have no idea what the problem is or which steps you need to take to get you back on the road. You prod and poke under the hood hoping for a miracle cure.
In marketing, you don’t want to continue without that blueprint to success either.
In just a few hours, you can easily pull together your marketing strategy.
A simple strategy will map out your goals, the different tactics you’ll use, how much you’ll spend and how much time they’ll take.
You’ll see far better results with a plan under your belt.
You ignore your competition
We don’t want to get bogged down in comparisonitis, but analysing your biggest competitors is a smart move.
This can help you uncover areas of weakness where you may be able to discover new marketing opportunities.
Look at the content your competitors have created for their website, blog and social media channels.
What are they doing really well and not so well?
Think about how you can use similar tactics for your business and make them even better.
You refuse to invest in marketing
As a small business owner you have many choices to make. And part of that is deciding what to invest in and how to spend your time.
I know marketing is a big struggle for many pet professionals, and it can often feel overwhelming.
Before you know it you find yourself in a routine. The results you’re getting (no matter how disappointing) can become the norm.
You become complacent. But complacency is a dangerous place to be. Because marketing is changing all the time.
The only way to grow your business effectively is by staying open to new marketing strategies and opportunities.
To commit to learning and developing yourself on a personal and professional level.
My business has always made giant leaps after I choose to invest in myself.
If you’re struggling to make marketing work for your pet business, and you’re not seeing the growth you crave, head over to the Pet Biz Thrive Online Club and become a member…
We have a a wealth of resources to put you on the right path and a supportive community to offer a helping hand every step of the way.