Have you ever wondered, "Why isn’t my marketing working?" or "What am I doing wrong?". You’re posting consistently, running ads, and doing everything the marketing experts say—so why aren’t you seeing results? If your marketing strategy isn’t working, the solution isn’t always to do more—it’s to do things differently.
Many small business owners fall into the trap of focusing on tactics before strategy, creating content without a clear direction, or relying too much on social media marketing alone. More content and ads won’t fix a broken foundation—you need a strategy that aligns with your business goals, target audience, and long-term growth.
In this blog, we’ll break down the biggest marketing mistakes small businesses make and how to fix your marketing strategy for small business success. Drawing from years of experience helping entrepreneurs, I am going to share what actually works—and what’s just a waste of time.
If we haven't met yet, I’m Brittany, an online marketing strategist for female entrepreneurs. I teach women how to make their entrepreneurial dreams a reality through smart, actionable marketing strategies that get them seen, loved, and paid. Whether you’re eager to DIY your way to success or hire professionals to help you along the way–my goal is to make sure you walk away with the clarity you need to see the results you desire and build a life you love.
Table of Contents
Why Your Marketing Isn’t Working
Understanding why your marketing isn’t working is crucial for making the right adjustments. These three factors play a significant role in determining the success of your marketing strategy and identifying gaps that may be hindering growth.
1. Your Mindset is Holding You Back
Marketing takes time. Many business owners expect instant results, but the reality is that gaining traction requires patience. You’ll likely gain 3-5 followers for every post you make and it can take 6-12 months for organic marketing strategies to start producing real results, especially if you rely solely on social media.
2. You’re Only Focusing on One Piece of the Puzzle
If you’re only focused on one type of marketing, like using social media or email marketing, without integrating a comprehensive strategy, you’re limiting your potential. Marketing works as a multi-step process, and missing a key component could be why your efforts aren’t paying off.
3. You’re Skipping Essential Steps
Many business owners try to jump ahead, investing in paid ads without first testing their messaging or building a strong organic presence. This often results in wasted marketing spend with little to no return. I've identified 6 key marketing steps every business needs to take to build a solid marketing foundation, so let's dive in.
6 Essential Steps to Fix Your Marketing Strategy
Step 1: Define Your Brand and Offer
To have a successful business you need something to sell, a product or service (aka. an offer). This is crucial and must be figured out before any of the following steps. Also note, if you change your offer, you will need to review these steps to align and market your new offer.
Once you have an offer it's time to identify your brand identity, which includes your logo, colours, fonts, and your business' tone of voice. Beyond visuals, a successful brand solves a problem for customers. If your branding is inconsistent or unclear, potential clients may not recognize or trust your business which makes the 6-12 month marketing cycle take longer. Even if you have branding for your business, ask yourself if it truly reflects the mission, vision and values of your business. If not, it's likely time for a brand refresh.
If you're looking for additional support, I recommend listening to this episode of the Go Get Great podcast, or:
✅ Investing in: Branding services, graphic design, packaging, and product development.
Step 2: Know Your Ideal Customer
Your audience isn’t everyone. The better you understand your ideal client’s pain points, frustrations, and desires, the easier it will be to craft compelling marketing messages. You have to spend time researching and talking to our ideal clients (sometimes this is called market research, or voice of customer research) to find out what they struggle with, how and where they search for solutions to their problems etc. This information will serve as the foundation for your marketing and messaging.
✅ Invest in: Market research, customer surveys, and professional copywriting to refine your messaging.
Step 3: Start Telling People About Your Business
There are so many marketing opportunities out there like, social media, networking, print advertising, SEO, websites, word of mouth, Google Ads, etc. At this stage, it's time to put your business out there and start building a base of information for people that find you.
It's important to note that marketing isn’t just about creating content—it’s about creating relatable and valuable content that resonates with your audience.
📌 Common Mistakes in Social Media Marketing:
Being on the wrong platform (know where your audience hangs out!)
Not optimizing your bio and profile for conversions (steal my FREE bio optimization checklist)
Only posting sales content instead of providing value
Failing to invite your audience to take action (call-to-action, lead magnets, etc.)
✅ Invest in: A social media manager, content strategy, and professional design.
Step 3.5: Create a Website (Your Businesses Home Base)
While some businesses run without a website, it’s significantly harder. Your website establishes credibility and serves as a foundation for SEO, lead generation, and content marketing. Website's can feel like an intimidating project, however, there are plenty of beginner friendly (and budget friendly) options out there like Canva's website builder, or template based website builders like Shopify, or Square Space. Even starting with a one page website can be hugely adventagous for your business.
✅ Invest in: Website development, SEO services, and high-quality copywriting
Check out this podcast episode for expert website design tips from Izzy Waite Design 👈🏻
Step 4: Back Up Your Business with Email Marketing
Relying solely on social media is risky, like building your business on quick sand—platforms change, accounts get suspended, and algorithms shift. Email marketing ensures you own your audience and can continue nurturing leads regardless of external changes.
📌 Why Email Marketing is Crucial:
Builds relationships with potential customers
Provides a direct communication channel
Supports sales and lead nurturing
To truely see results from email marketing, you'll need to create a lead magnet and send regular emails (usually weekly) to nurture your audience.
This is often where I find the process falls apart, by the time people tackle their social media along with the general activities of running a business, they feel so overwhelmed, like there aren’t enough hours in the day and they don’t think they can add more to their plate. What they haven’t seen is that this step and the next one actually make it easier for you to create social media content
✅ Invest in: Email marketing setup, lead magnet creation, and email automation tools or email management services.
Step 5: Choose a Long-Form Content Strategy
To consistenly build authority and attract organic traffic, you need to choose a long-form content platform like:
Blogging
Podcasting
YouTube/Vlogging
Live Q&A Sessions
Pro Tip: Having long form content allows you to repurpose your blog or podcast into social media posts and email newsletters to maximize its impact and minimize the amount of content you're creating each week. Additionally, long form content ensures you’re adding value to your audience giving people a reason to follow you on social media and a reason to join and stay on your email list.
✅ Invest in: Blog writers, podcast editors (learn more about our podcast editing services), or video production services.
Step 6: Scale with Paid Advertising
Once your organic strategy is optimized, paid advertising can amplify your reach and accelerate growth. However, before running ads, ensure:
Your messaging has been tested and proven
Your website and landing pages are optimized and converting well
You have a budget of at least $500/month for ads per platform you'll be running ads on
Pro Tip: There are likely lots of non-marketing-related steps that need to happen between Steps 5 & 6 to ensure your business is set up to scale in a manageable and aligned manner to serve the new customers and clients the paid ads bring. You may need automated systems, you may have to hire staff etc. each business is different but ensuring your systems and operations are scalable is key before starting paid ads.
✅ Invest in: Facebook/Instagram Ads, Google Ads, and professional ad strategists or managers.
Discover paid ad tips for beginners on this episode of Go Get Great!
Common Small Business Marketing Mistakes & How to Fix Them
Avoiding common marketing mistakes is crucial for small businesses to thrive in a competitive landscape. Many entrepreneurs struggle with ineffective strategies that hinder their ability to attract ideal clients and generate leads. By identifying and addressing these pitfalls, businesses can refine their approach and achieve sustainable growth.
If you're struggling with:
❌ Low Reach on Social Media → You're Lacking Brand Consistency
🔹 Fix: Ensure your content has uniform branding elements.
A strong and consistent brand builds recognition and trust with potential customers, making it easier for them to remember and choose your business over competitors. Without consistency, your brand may appear unprofessional or unreliable, leading to lost sales and missed opportunities.
❌ Not Making Sales From Your marketing → You Have Poor Audience Targeting
🔹 Fix: Conduct market research and tailor your messaging accordingly.
Understanding your audience’s needs and preferences helps you create targeted messaging that resonates with potential customers, making it easier to convert leads into sales. Without proper market research, your business may struggle to connect with the right audience, leading to missed opportunities and lower revenue.
❌ Inconsistent Sales → You're Neglecting Email Marketing
🔹 Fix: Create a compelling lead magnet and nurture your email list.
A well-crafted lead magnet attracts potential customers and encourages them to share their contact information, allowing you to build relationships and convert leads into paying clients over time. Without this, you risk losing interested prospects and limiting your sales potential.
❌ Slow Conversion Rates → Relying Only on Social Media
🔹 Fix: Diversify your marketing efforts with blogging, SEO, and email marketing.
A well-rounded marketing approach ensures that your business reaches potential customers across multiple channels, increasing visibility and trust. Relying solely on one platform can limit your growth and put your business at risk if that platform’s algorithms change, ultimately impacting your sales.
❌ Paid Ads Aren't Converting → Premature Scaling
🔹 Fix: Establish strong organic marketing before investing heavily in paid ads.
Without a solid organic foundation, paid ads can lead to wasted budget and low returns if people visit an empty or outdated social profile after seeing an ad. A strong organic presence ensures that when potential customers see your ads, they already recognize and trust your brand, leading to higher conversion rates and sustained sales growth.
Fix Your Marketing, Get Better Results
Marketing success doesn’t happen overnight. It requires strategy, consistency, and a multi-channel approach. If your marketing efforts aren’t yielding results, you likely need to evaluate your strategy and address missing pieces.
By following these six essential steps, small businesses can create sustainable, scalable marketing strategies that drive real growth.
Your Next Steps:
Evaluate your current marketing strategy—what’s working, what’s not, and where you need to adjust. Listen to the Go Get Great Podcast for deeper insights into fixing your marketing strategy.
Need help? Book a call and let’s refine your marketing strategy together!
Marketing Strategies for Small Businesses FAQs
1. How can I generate more leads for my small business?
Leverage lead magnets, optimize your website for conversions, and consistently engage your audience through social media and email marketing.
2. Is email marketing better than social media marketing?
Email marketing allows for direct, personal communication, while social media helps you build brand awareness. The best strategy is to combine both.
3. How do I attract my ideal clients?
Conduct market research, create targeted content, and focus on solving your audience’s pain points.
4. What’s the biggest mistake small businesses make in marketing?
Focusing only on one marketing channel instead of implementing a comprehensive strategy.
5. When should I start using paid ads?
Only after you’ve tested your organic marketing, refined your messaging, and ensured your business is prepared to scale.
Episode References
Come say hi!
Give us a follow if you're ready to take life from good to great, you'll be the first to know when we share more about motherhood and business. If it really resonated, the kids and I would do a happy dance if you left us a review 💗 ~ Brittany
00:00 Intro
00:40 The comparison game
4:15 My 6-step process for getting your marketing pieces in place without adding strain to your business
13:15 Pinpointing your current marketing roadblocks
26:00 Wrap up
Kommentare