If you are reading this probability has it you’re probably an entrepreneur who has just recently started their own business or is growing said business. I want to start by congratulating you on making that big jump and creating something from nothing. We wrote this article with you in mind and will go over common things people have to deal with while doing their own marketing. Our team wants to clarify right at the beginning that any company can do their own marketing, and many entrepreneurs have done an amazing job of showcasing their brand without the help of an agency. They have grown their business by themselves (without hiring an agency or an employee) and consumers absolutely love the authenticity of that.
On the other end, marketing is tough and can be especially time-consuming to learn and stay up to date. If you enjoy marketing, have the time for it, and know what you are doing, I would recommend closing out of this blog and spend the time working on your marketing. If that isn’t the case and you don’t fill all of those three things then buckle up and let’s learn 23 hard truths about doing your own marketing
1. Marketing is EXPENSIVE
Even if you are doing it yourself, “free marketing” (Press, blogs, etc) is hard to get. Be prepared to drop some cash on ads if you want to grow. This isn’t always the case, but make sure that you have at least a small budget for your marketing.
2. Social Media takes time
You will not gain 10,000 followers overnight. Social media growth is a science and takes a lot of trial and error. Companies have spent months tinkering before they find their spark. Try new things, and if something isn’t working for you, try something else.
Selfless plug – If you want tips and tricks on how to grow your socials, follow @findenmarketing on Instagram and Facebook
3. Followers do not equate to revenue
If you’ve been in business for longer than a day, you’ve probably been DM’d and told “hey man I can help grow your followers” by some self-proclaimed social media guru. The sad truth is, not that simple. Even if you have 10,000 followers, you still have to convert said followers into customers, and most of the time (especially if you just go out and follow everyone and their brother) they don’t care about your product. Rather, if you create a deep community of those who believe in your product, you will see more revenue 99 times out of 100.
Important Note – This works in the same realm for influencers. Always check engagement when looking at influencers if they have 10,000 followers, but 5 likes on each post they are probably not worth working with.
4. Return on Investment (ROI) takes time
Proper marketing is one of the biggest revenue generators you can do, but it takes time for your ads to be effective. Top agencies usually take between 3-6 months before seeing an ROI for their clients, so don’t freak out if you don’t see yours right away.
Our Tip: Take advantage of digital advertising certifications to get better returns. Our recommendation are the HubSpot certifications.
5. Create a loyal audience and the rest will come
It is not about quantity, it’s about quality. 500 loyal followers have way more power than 50,000 non-loyal followers. Figure out what your loyal followers like and cater to them, more will come.
6. Influencers rarely work, so don’t put all your money in them
Unless you sell a very specific type of product, influencer marketing most likely won’t work for you. Current consumers are sick of getting sold to and influencers’ power has shrunk dramatically in the last few years.
Our Tip: Take that money that you were going to invest in influencers and put it into your local community. You will most likely see a better ROI and your community will become authentic influencers for your brand.
7. Don’t sell on social media posts, provide value and showcase your story
The simple science behind it is that no one wants to be sold. Consumers want to see that they can have some kind of experience or be given some sort of value. If you can showcase your experience, hit emotions, and capture your audience you will make more sales.
Our Tip: These posts can be as simple as posting about your team, a big thing that just happened in your business, or something that makes you special.the more authentic the better.
8. Radio ads / TV ads are outdated and expensive
Again unless you are looking to just boost name recognition, radio / TV ads are a waste of money. These outreach forms hit a wide audience but lack the ability to choose who you reach, making them less effective than digital advertising.
9. You need a strategy to grow your marketing
Marketing isn’t an afterthought and shouldn’t be treated as such. You will need to spend a lot of time creating a content strategy that aligns with the growth of your business.
Our Tip: Want a free marketing consultation with us to help push your business in the right direction? Email me at andrew@findenmarketing.com to get started.
10. People can tell if you use an old phone camera
Unfortunately, in today’s age of social media content is king and current consumers love high-quality photography and videography. For your social media to grow, you have to have high-quality content. We can gain this three ways: 1) promote your community to take photos, 2) hire a photographer, 3) invest in a camera for your business.
11. Digital ads are a science and experts will most likely make you more money
Marketing professionals spend their entire lives trying to understand the algorithms that Facebook, Google, and Instagram used to get themselves a step ahead of the competition. If you aren’t willing to put in the time and effort of doing research, you should let the pros take over and it will make you more money. Learn more about these Hard truths about marketing and many more by checking out our blog.
12. Most people will not read your book long posts
Keep your posts short, sweet, and to the point. The average person will not read multiple paragraphs of you talking, rather use video to discuss these stories. The general rule of thumb is that consumers are lazy, they want to be spoon-fed information rather than having to work for it. Feed them and they will feed you.
13. Ambassador programs only work if you have a large loyal audience that likes your products
Ambassador programs can be effective and my agency uses them with many our clients, but they will never be effective if you don’t have a large community willing to tell everyone they know about your company. Wait until you grow to a decent following before you unveil your ambassador program.
Our Tip: Focus your time on finding what your community likes and create things that are ambassador exclusive to entice consumers to tell their friends.
14. It is HARD to organically grow your Facebook page likes
Facebook has made organic growth substantially harder since creating its business ads. Leverage your friends and family to get the name out before doing paid ads.
15. You need brand standards and a voice to be successful in an online presence
The 15th item on the hard truths about marketing is creating your brand standards. The day of just posting and hoping for the best is gone. I would recommend finding a good content calendar and creating a strategy for how you want your voice to look.
Our Tip: don’t know where to start? Set up a meeting with us and we can give you some pointers. Feel free to email me personally at andrew@findenmarketing.com and I can give you a free analysis and our content calendar template.
16. Social media is constantly evolving and you need to keep up on it constantly
Like anything, social media is constantly developing and if you are running your own business you are going to have to stay up to date on trends, new algorithms, and new platforms that may come.
17. No one cares about your generic holiday posts
There, I said it. Stop posting just to post. Your generic thanksgiving post will not get you anything and just make your feed look messy. Instead, do something that is unique and fits your voice.
Out Tip: Find out what your consumers are interested in and cater your holiday posts to them. Incorporate your field into holiday posts and see better engagement.
18. You don’t have to hire a fancy graphic designer to create content
Canva is a fantastic tool for a young business. The hard marketing truth is that graphic designers aren’t needed for small businesses. As you grow we definitely recommend bringing on a graphic designer to really make your brand pop, but if you have a creative side Canva is a fantastic free tool.
Our Tip: Hire a local college student graphic designer to do your posts. They are always looking for content for their portfolio and are happy to work with small businesses.
19. Consumers are looking for authenticity
To double down on the authenticity that I talked about in the last bullet consumers are looking for the authentic experience. They don’t want mockups, fake photoshoots, or heavily altered photos. Your target audience follows you because they want to learn about you and your brand.
20. Imitating something that works for another company will rarely work for you
This is unfortunately too common in the marketing world. You wouldn’t believe how many times a client has come to us and said “hey I saw Slim Jim posting memes and people liked them so we need to start doing that”. 9 times out of 10, this tactic will not work for you. Every company needs to create its own identity, and it shouldn’t be on the coattails of another.
21. It will take a LOT of time to get people to care
Again, as a novice marketer, you are going to make some mistakes while learning the way of growing a business. Many start their company believing that if they create a cool product everyone and their brother is going to buy it and they will be rich. As you probably have realized by now, that isn’t the case. Getting people to care about your product (and eventually buy your product) is a painstaking process and involves a lot of time and effort for the person behind it.
22. Don’t use hashtags on Facebook
This one is more of a debated argument between marketers, but the thing to note is that hashtags on a Facebook post make it look less authentic. What I recommend is to leave the hashtags on your Instagram post and focus on making shareable content on Facebook.
23. Keep your logo out of any pictures you post
Don’t put your logo or your name in your photos… let your brand do the talking. If someone is interested in your company, they will do the extra work to see who you are.
As a note, there is a reason people are getting paid millions every year to do brand marketing, it is a tough thing to get good at. Entrepreneurs have done an amazing job at it, and it is a totally possible feat for you to do yourself. My biggest advice is to plan, plan, and plan some more. One of the biggest reasons Finden Marketing has gotten our clients the growth we have is because we create a very detailed plan that helps guide our clients on the pathway to success.
Want to learn more about how you can stand out using ads? Finden Marketing is Duluth, Minnesota’s leading Gen Z & Millennial marketing agency. With years of experience, hundreds of thousands of dollars managed, and a dedicated team we can help grow your business to its true potential. Our team offers a wide range of services, including PR, Branding, Content Creation, Paid Media, Graphic Design, and Web Development. With over 50 projects in the bag, Finden Marketing is becoming a staple marketing agency in Duluth, Minnesota. To learn more about Finden Marketing, check us out here, or visit us at our office in Duluth, Minnesota.
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Andrew Weisz – CEO Finden Marketing Group
Marketing Strategist, Food Enthusiast, Serial Entrepreneur
