10 Marketing Mistakes Every Businessman Must Avoid to Grow Their Business
Business growth depends on many factors. Marketing tops the chart if management avoids some marketing mistakes.
Recently, I was invited to address 40-odd business owners at Progress Alliance in Surat. The group works together to help each other with personal development and business growth.
They asked me to guide them through my social media marketing expertise, but I decided to strengthen their foundation.
Instead of discussing the tools and techniques, I addressed the issues that most business owners repeatedly face. I just don’t call them marketing mistakes but marketing disasters!
Few things decide a business’s fate. Although these words may sound like modern marketing jargon, they are crucial for sustainable business growth.
In the past over 10 years, I have practiced and developed the art of business growth with sustainable marketing tactics.
From building a strong business model, the marketing success comprises a clear marketing budget, media planning, omnichannel presence, differentiating marketing and sales functions, designing a sales funnel, organic and paid content distribution, data analysis, human resource planning, and developing strong digital footprints.
Here is some advice for every business owner to avoid major marketing mistakes and disasters.
10 Pieces of Marketing Advice to Avoid Marketing Disasters
1. Do Market Research Regularly:
Every marketing activity is aimless without knowing what your target audience wants, what your competitors are doing, and where the industry is heading.
Market research is not a one-time task but a regular activity.
Define a period and use the data to penetrate new markets and leverage the existing markets.
Through this, one would know the importance of media selection, integrated marketing communications, buyer stimuli, and campaign planning.
2. Understand Your Business Model:
A strong foundation builds a substantial apartment.
The core of marketing success is how well a business owner understands their business, stakeholders’ involvement, management functions, internal and external processes, organisational structure, financial stability, human resource planning, forward and backward data integration, technological adoption, and market opportunities.
Clarity about the business model makes life easy for the marketing department.
Startup owners must spend more time and energy on defining a business model instead of jumping on fancy things.
3. Develop Marketing as a Skill:
Yes, marketing is a skill; instead, it’s a core management function.
Understanding marketing management is not optional. Invest time and resources into understanding its nuances.
Marketing management is a deep subject. To effectively implement it for the business, a comprehensive understanding of marketing is essential.
While business owners spend the most time checking social media content, ad creatives, and conversion results, they must also devote more time to market research, consumer behaviour analysis, and media planning.
4. Avoid micromanagement:
Marketing communication is subjective until a strong data analysis supports it.
Social media is the frontrunner in media selection for small businesses in India, and business owners are primarily involved with executing social media marketing with limited budgets.
The best part is their involvement, but only where it is required.
Micromanagement in social media creatives, content execution, and expecting every creative piece to come out as Picasso’s masterpiece wastes time.
Hiring a reliable social media agency or working with the topmost digital marketing company reduces this burden.
Invest time in other key issues and let the reliable digital marketing team handle micromanagement.
5. Don’t over-rely on Instagram as a growth machine:
In the last 4 years, Indian businesses have become very optimistic about Instagram.
There is nothing wrong with it. In fact, Instagram has evolved in the Indian market since the COVID-19 lockdown.
One can expect Instagram to rule the social media industry for many more years, but the history of social media doesn’t support this hypothesis.
One day, a new social media platform will emerge as the market leader, and Instagram may disappear from consumers’ radars!
It is advisable not to become a slave to a single social media platform. While leveraging a platform is great, building a business relying on a single platform is dangerous.
6. Build a Capable Team:
Marketing and sales functions are the backbone of success. These two are the specialised functions of any business.
The owners cannot ignore the importance and necessity of these departments.
The marketing team must build a strong brand presence, engage users, and build a community while the sales team generates revenue.
Hire and train the best in the industry. Don’t overlook the marketing and sales teams’ role.
7. Don’t rule your agency:
Working with the best digital marketing agency is necessary for a business to succeed in the long run.
Business owners enjoy the freedom to run the agency with their opinions and a ‘do as directed’ approach.
The seasoned agencies do not enjoy this. They avoid such clients.
Business owners must allow their digital marketing agency to express themselves and let them show their creativity.
Give them creative freedom to deliver the results you’re aiming for.
8. Use social media effectively to connect:
Building a personal brand is necessary, but not with artificial content.
While business owners have become more alert and serious about nurturing their social media profiles, content creation appears to be a daunting task.
Becoming greedy and taking advantage of something that comes for free are natural human behaviours.
Yes, social media is free, but it’s important to understand how to use this free platform.
Keep creating meaningful content. Perform regular and maximum ground activities and amplify on social media handles.
Be genuine and authentic, and maintain consistency.
Instead of trying to sell, inspire people to think about your products as solutions to their problems.
9. Make Your Website Count:
Your company’s website is its virtual identity. It is not advisable to rely heavily on social media handles, online marketplaces, or B2B portals.
Even the static website was handy a few years back when fulfilling the ‘must-have’ requirement on the business card.
Super informative, dynamic, recently updated content is the need of the time. Businesses need to be bespoke on the website.
In the B2B sector, many next-generation entrepreneurs check websites before finalising the deals.
Hire a good website development company that not only builds the website but also understands the content marketing requirements.
10. Develop RevOps:
Create a process that streamlines how you generate and sustain revenue. RevOps is a widely used process-making activity in the IT industry, but any industry can adopt it.
Streamline marketing and sales teams backed by data analysis, and one can surely see the results.
Why do these advices matter to business owners?
Marketing is not an expense but an investment made for growth.
This session reminded attendees that intelligent, informed decisions can drive lasting success.
Technology is important, but strategy and human touch can make all the difference.
If you’re ready to stop guessing and start growing, let’s connect.
We at iVIPANAN offer tailored solutions to help you navigate the complexities of marketing with confidence.
Your business deserves more than just effort. It deserves expertise. Let’s create success together.
Recently, I was invited to address 40-odd business owners at Progress Alliance in Surat. The group works together to help each other with personal development and business growth.
They asked me to guide them through my social media marketing expertise, but I decided to strengthen their foundation.
Instead of discussing the tools and techniques, I addressed the issues that most business owners repeatedly face. I just don’t call them marketing mistakes but marketing disasters!
Few things decide a business’s fate. Although these words may sound like modern marketing jargon, they are crucial for sustainable business growth.
In the past over 10 years, I have practiced and developed the art of business growth with sustainable marketing tactics.
From building a strong business model, the marketing success comprises a clear marketing budget, media planning, omnichannel presence, differentiating marketing and sales functions, designing a sales funnel, organic and paid content distribution, data analysis, human resource planning, and developing strong digital footprints.
Here is some advice for every business owner to avoid major marketing mistakes and disasters.
10 Pieces of Marketing Advice to Avoid Marketing Disasters
1. Do Market Research Regularly:
Every marketing activity is aimless without knowing what your target audience wants, what your competitors are doing, and where the industry is heading.
Market research is not a one-time task but a regular activity.
Define a period and use the data to penetrate new markets and leverage the existing markets.
Through this, one would know the importance of media selection, integrated marketing communications, buyer stimuli, and campaign planning.
2. Understand Your Business Model:
A strong foundation builds a substantial apartment.
The core of marketing success is how well a business owner understands their business, stakeholders’ involvement, management functions, internal and external processes, organisational structure, financial stability, human resource planning, forward and backward data integration, technological adoption, and market opportunities.
Clarity about the business model makes life easy for the marketing department.
Startup owners must spend more time and energy on defining a business model instead of jumping on fancy things.
3. Develop Marketing as a Skill:
Yes, marketing is a skill; instead, it’s a core management function.
Understanding marketing management is not optional. Invest time and resources into understanding its nuances.
Marketing management is a deep subject. To effectively implement it for the business, a comprehensive understanding of marketing is essential.
While business owners spend the most time checking social media content, ad creatives, and conversion results, they must also devote more time to market research, consumer behaviour analysis, and media planning.
4. Avoid micromanagement:
Marketing communication is subjective until a strong data analysis supports it.
Social media is the frontrunner in media selection for small businesses in India, and business owners are primarily involved with executing social media marketing with limited budgets.
The best part is their involvement, but only where it is required.
Micromanagement in social media creatives, content execution, and expecting every creative piece to come out as Picasso’s masterpiece wastes time.
Hiring a reliable social media agency or working with the topmost digital marketing company reduces this burden.
Invest time in other key issues and let the reliable digital marketing team handle micromanagement.
5. Don’t over-rely on Instagram as a growth machine:
In the last 4 years, Indian businesses have become very optimistic about Instagram.
There is nothing wrong with it. In fact, Instagram has evolved in the Indian market since the COVID-19 lockdown.
One can expect Instagram to rule the social media industry for many more years, but the history of social media doesn’t support this hypothesis.
One day, a new social media platform will emerge as the market leader, and Instagram may disappear from consumers’ radars!
It is advisable not to become a slave to a single social media platform. While leveraging a platform is great, building a business relying on a single platform is dangerous.
6. Build a Capable Team:
Marketing and sales functions are the backbone of success. These two are the specialised functions of any business.
The owners cannot ignore the importance and necessity of these departments.
The marketing team must build a strong brand presence, engage users, and build a community while the sales team generates revenue.
Hire and train the best in the industry. Don’t overlook the marketing and sales teams’ role.
7. Don’t rule your agency:
Working with the best digital marketing agency is necessary for a business to succeed in the long run.
Business owners enjoy the freedom to run the agency with their opinions and a ‘do as directed’ approach.
The seasoned agencies do not enjoy this. They avoid such clients.
Business owners must allow their digital marketing agency to express themselves and let them show their creativity.
Give them creative freedom to deliver the results you’re aiming for.
8. Use social media effectively to connect:
Building a personal brand is necessary, but not with artificial content.
While business owners have become more alert and serious about nurturing their social media profiles, content creation appears to be a daunting task.
Becoming greedy and taking advantage of something that comes for free are natural human behaviours.
Yes, social media is free, but it’s important to understand how to use this free platform.
Keep creating meaningful content. Perform regular and maximum ground activities and amplify on social media handles.
Be genuine and authentic, and maintain consistency.
Instead of trying to sell, inspire people to think about your products as solutions to their problems.
9. Make Your Website Count:
Your company’s website is its virtual identity. It is not advisable to rely heavily on social media handles, online marketplaces, or B2B portals.
Even the static website was handy a few years back when fulfilling the ‘must-have’ requirement on the business card.
Super informative, dynamic, recently updated content is the need of the time. Businesses need to be bespoke on the website.
In the B2B sector, many next-generation entrepreneurs check websites before finalising the deals.
Hire a good website development company that not only builds the website but also understands the content marketing requirements.
10. Develop RevOps:
Create a process that streamlines how you generate and sustain revenue. RevOps is a widely used process-making activity in the IT industry, but any industry can adopt it.
Streamline marketing and sales teams backed by data analysis, and one can surely see the results.
Why do these advices matter to business owners?
Marketing is not an expense but an investment made for growth.
This session reminded attendees that intelligent, informed decisions can drive lasting success.
Technology is important, but strategy and human touch can make all the difference.
If you’re ready to stop guessing and start growing, let’s connect.
We at iVIPANAN offer tailored solutions to help you navigate the complexities of marketing with confidence.
Your business deserves more than just effort. It deserves expertise. Let’s create success together.
