4 Reasons Your Marketing Isn’t Working (& How to Fix It)
Feb 27, 2024Episode 133
Treefrog Marketing
The success of your business is intricately tied to the effectiveness of your marketing.
In this episode, I delve into the reasons why your marketing efforts might not be yielding the desired results and, more importantly, how to rectify the situation.
I systematically break down the four most common pitfalls that may be hindering your marketing success. Our goal is not just to address these issues but to provide actionable strategies that can turn things around for you.
It's time to untangle the mess and create a winning strategy that continually produces results. And yes, I’m talking real results – not just a bunch of marketing jargon pieced together.
Whether you're in need of reliable marketing guidance and leadership, or you're just looking for free resources to boost your marketing efforts, I've got your back.
So hit that play button and let's get your marketing on the fast track to success.
Specifically, this episode highlights the following themes:
The success of your business is intricately tied to the effectiveness of your marketing.
In this episode, I delve into the reasons why your marketing efforts might not be yielding the desired results and, more importantly, how to rectify the situation.
I systematically break down the four most common pitfalls that may be hindering your marketing success. Our goal is not just to address these issues but to provide actionable strategies that can turn things around for you.
It's time to untangle the mess and create a winning strategy that continually produces results. And yes, I’m talking real results – not just a bunch of marketing jargon pieced together.
Whether you're in need of reliable marketing guidance and leadership, or you're just looking for free resources to boost your marketing efforts, I've got your back.
So hit that play button and let's get your marketing on the fast track to success.
Specifically, this episode highlights the following themes:
Before you can design and implement a successful marketing strategy, you have to determine your messaging. Because without clear messaging, you won't be able to connect with your ideal customers or hold their attention, making any and all of your marketing efforts really just a waste of your time and money. Hey there, you're listening to the Priority Pursuit podcast, a podcast dedicated to helping small business owners and leaders define, maintain and pursue both their personal and business priorities so that they can build lives and businesses they love. I am your host, Kelly Rice, and today I want to answer a question that the team and I are regularly asked by small business owners, which is why isn't my marketing working? So most small business owners and leaders know that they need to be marketing their businesses, and they spend time and money trying to piece together the latest marketing tactics and social media trends in hopes that something will lead to results, right? That's the end goal. However, randomly trying marketing tactics doesn't typically work, and it certainly doesn't lead to long term, consistent results. So in this episode, we're going to discuss the four most common reasons your marketing may not be working. But before we do that, I want to make something clear. If your marketing isn't delivering the results that you need, you have to determine why. Because the fact of the matter is that selling great products and services and offering an incredible client experience isn't enough to build a successful small business. Yes, they are absolutely key factors, but hard work can only take a business so far. So if you want to take your business to the next level, you have to be able to effectively reach and connect with potential customers in a way that makes them want to buy from you. So in other words, if you want your business to grow, your marketing has to actually work. So with this in mind, let's break down the four most likely reasons your marketing isn't working and how we can actually fix those issues. So the first problem is a lack of clear, customer focused messaging. Now, there could be more than one reason your marketing isn't delivering the results that you need to take your company to the next level. But more often than not, ineffective communication is a result of one or more like a combination of things. And if you listen to even one of our episodes of priority pursuit, you aren't going to be shocked when I tell you that the biggest marketing mistake that we see small businesses make is failing to create clear, customer focused messaging. I mean, you can build a stunning website, you can post a real a day, you can implement sales funnels and do all of the marketing things that you're supposed to do. However, all of these efforts and tactics are a waste of time, money and resources if your messaging isn't clear. So in other words, clear messaging, which again is communication that your ideal customers can understand quickly and easily, is the key to successful marketing. But because in order to convert prospects into paying customers, you have to know what to say to connect with your ideal customers, hold their attention and then help them want to do business with you. And the best way to clarify your message, your messaging, for just about any type of marketing aspect of it, is to write or work with a marketing professional to write your marketing guiding statements. And we've talked a lot about marketing guidance statements and I don't even know how many episodes at this point, but in case this is your first episode and you aren't familiar with this idea, marketing guiding statements are written statements that position your brand and business as a trusted partner. And the process of developing these statements gives you the information you need to write clear and concise and effective messaging in a story based format. And again, we use a story based format because people are 22 times more likely to remember your offer or your messaging or your branding when it is written this way. So as a result, when you take the time to create your marketing guiding statements, you and your marketing team can refer to these statements as you work on writing your website copy, blog post, social media post or really developing any other kind of content to make sure that your marketing is customer focused rather than feeling braggy or salesy. And it has the power to convert your ideal customers, which is absolutely key. So I want you to think about your marketing guiding statements as the gps of your marketing efforts. Once you write them, and as long as you follow them, you're more than likely going to get where you want to go because all of your marketing materials will be written in a way that allows you to actually connect with your best customers. So because we know that small businesses marketing is hard, and we know small businesses can't succeed without clear messaging, we put together a free mini course that walks you through exactly how to write your small businesses marketing guiding statements. So to take the first step to effective marketing for small businesses writing your marketing guiding statements mini course, visit the link in the show notes or go to treefrogmarketing.com marketingguidingstatements, which is all one word without any spaces, hyphens or special characters. So again, if you want to clarify your message so you can better connect with your ideal clients, learn how to write your marketing guiding statements by visiting the link in the show notes or by going to treefrogmarketing.com marketingguidingstatements okay, before we leave this topic, I also really quickly want to note that before you can design and implement a successful marketing strategy, you have to determine your messaging. Because without clear messaging, you won't be able to connect with your ideal customers or hold their attention, making any and all of your marketing efforts really just a waste of your time and money. So I want to encourage you to keep listening to this episode so that we can discuss the other reasons your marketing may not be giving you the results that you want. However, please, before you start addressing these other issues that we're going to discuss, make sure you clarify your messaging by writing your marketing guiding statements. Okay, so now another reason your marketing may not be working is because you don't have an effective marketing strategy. In fact, there are all kinds of marketing tools and tactics available. However, your time and resources are value, they're valuable and as a result, you need a marketing strategy that delivers result, not a bunch of marketing tactics and suggestions like pieced together that waste your time and money. So if you're a regular listener to a priority pursuit, you probably know exactly what I'm about to say next. But I'm excited to share that there is actually a marketing strategy that is proven to consistently generate results for small businesses. And it's called the flywheel marketing method. And it's a marketing strategy where your website and your online marketing methods are in sync and they function as a flywheel to continually produce results even when you're not in the office or you're not paying much attention to your marketing. But I want you to be aware. That setting up the flywheel marketing does require a lot of work up front. But once it's in place, your marketing will more or less continually work on its own, just requiring a little bit of maintenance here and there, which is ideal for busy small businesses. So because we've seen this strategy work for small businesses of all sizes and across countless industries, the Treefrog team and I are very passionate about this. And as a result, we created all kinds of resources that walk you through why it works, as well as how you can actually make it your own. And we'll get into those resources in a minute. But in case you aren't familiar with the flywheel marketing method, which this strategy is what you need to do for your small business. And it includes four steps, understand your audience and create clear messaging. You need to build a strategically built, SEO optimized website. You need to create content in a sales funnel that serves your clients well and you need to promote both your services and your content. So basically, once you complete these four steps, you'll have a marketing strategy that continually produces results. Many small businesses don't have an effective marketing strategy, and because of this, they try one tactic after another without seeing results. This not only prevents consistent business growth, it makes managing marketing efforts more difficult. Than it should be. As a marketing agency for small businesses. We understand how frustrating it can be when hard work doesn't deliver the results that you want. Because of this, Treefrog has developed. A proven four step marketing system that. Will help any small business grow. On our website, you can also schedule a 30 minutes discovery call to discuss working with Treefrog to build a. Marketing strategy that will allow your small. Business to finally see the growth you've. Been working so hard to achieve. What would you do with an extra 45 minutes every workday that would save you 16 hours a month or roughly eight days a year? And over the course of your career, we're talking about over one year of your life. Saved all that time back? Well, many independent business owners spend far more than 45 minutes a day on administrative tasks, and with honeybook you can get that time back and then some. Honeybook lets you easily manage projects, contracts, invoices, scheduling and client communication, saving you time and allowing you to better serve your clients. For a discount on your first year of Honeybook, visit honeybook.com and subscribe with the code priority Pursuit. 45 minutes a day adds up quickly. Use it to focus on what matters most. So in fact, this strategy has worked so well that we use it for all of our agency clients at Treefrog, and we found it to be the most effective marketing strategy for small businesses, regardless of industry. And we actually have had clients experience more than I think it's 800% growth as a result of following this method. So whether you ever become a Treefrog client or not, there's nothing we want more than for your small business to succeed. So as a result, if you'd like. To learn more about how to use the flywheel marketing method, I would love to share our flywall marketing guide with you. But as a heads up, this PDF is more of a book than a guide, but it does walk you through every step of the flywheel marketing method with examples so that you or your marketing team or your vendors or whoever can make this strategy your own. So to access this guide, visit the link in the show notes or you can get the guide at I think it's treefrogmarketing comflywheel. So again, if you'd like to break down this method step by step for learning how to implement this marketing strategy that we've actually found that has worked best for all of the small businesses that we work with, I would encourage you to check out the link in the show notes or again, go to treefrogmarketing comflywheel. Okay, now, if you already have clear messaging and an effective marketing strategy, another reason your marketing may not be working is a lack of marketing systems. So in other words, if you don't have marketing protocols and standard operating procedures in place, such as a process for running Google Ads, or developing and posting social media content, or your email marketing, your marketing efforts will inevitably get put on the back burner as you and your team work to juggle so many other aspects of running a business. And we've witnessed countless businesses spend time and money like brainstorming marketing ideas or even mapping out their own flywall marketing strategies. However, a lack of systems resulted in their failure to implement. So this is a problem because you want to take your small business to the next level, you have to actually implement and you have to manage and you have to maintain a marketing strategy. So to solve this problem, you need to create marketing systems so that every member of your team knows exactly what tasks they're responsible for, so that your marketing is streamlined and that your marketing strategy is implemented in full. So while we handle the development, implementation of these systems and protocols for our flywell marketing clients and our fractional CMO clients, if you or members of your team handle your marketing procedures internally, you need to create standard operating procedures for any and all marketing tactics. This includes detailing, even if it's simply in a Google Document, exactly how and when to complete tasks where information and resources can be found, what softwares and programs to use for each task, and simply how to get things done so that there's no room for questions or for any tasks to be forgotten. So if you'd like systems and protocol advice, I really want to encourage you to go back and listen to episode 118 for systems that every small business must have to increase efficiency and growth. And we'll put a link in the show notes or you can find it wherever you listen to podcast. But in this episode, Treefrog's director of operations, Mary Atkins, which she is our systems and protocol guru and we can't do anything without her. She breaks down the most important systems that small businesses need to have in place to see success for both marketing and just systems in general. So things, again, don't get lost. Okay, moving on to the last reason that your marketing might not be working is simply a result of inexperienced marketing leadership within your small business. So I'm sure there's so many people. That are experts in what they do, and you likely don't have time or the desire to also become a marketing expert. So having experienced marketing leadership is critical to a small business's success. So it's something that you have to know about, it has to be done or you have to have a partner in order to do that. So if you or a member of your team are trying to piece together different marketing tactics and trying to learn about the latest marketing trends as you have time, your marketing may not be working simply because you don't have the time or expertise to effectively handle and lead your marketing efforts. Now, it might sound a little harsh, but us business owners, we know that sometimes we're really good at a lot, but we really should focus on certain things and let other people handle other things. So while I know the Internet can. Offer a lot of information and it can get you really far, but unfortunately, there isn't a shortage of bad marketing advice available online either. And this is why most small businesses try one marketing tactic after another without seeing results. Which as we've already discussed, it wastes time, it wastes money and it prevents business growth. But with so much bad marketing advice out there, I'm sure the question is, where do you find solid marketing guidance and leadership? Totally understandable. And I know that can be hard to determine what marketing educators and resources you can trust and what marketing strategies actually work. So because of this, we've spent more than two decades helping small businesses establish marketing systems that generate business growth and create loyal customers by providing trustworthy marketing leadership and marketing resources that are backed by data and experience. So with this in mind, I want to share just a few resources with you that you can use to improve the effectiveness of your marketing and feel confident in your marketing efforts. So first, we feel called to help small businesses grow. And as a result, all of the work that we do and free content that we produce is backed by decades of experience, data and extensive research. So whether you're a small business owner, you're running a small business, or you're a marketing manager, we want to invite you to take advantage of our free marketing resources, which include this podcast and our small business marketing blog, and free guides and mini courses which you can actually find on our website@truefrogmarketing.com, and we'll also add those in the show notes so even if your small business isn't financially ready to invest in marketing leadership, these resources will give you clear, proven marketing guidance, right? Okay. The second one is if you're ready to invest in marketing guidance and leadership, I want to take a quick second to tell you about the ways we help small businesses get to the next level. Because every small business is in a different place. So we offer three different service levels. First, we offer a fractional CMO service. And in case you aren't familiar with this idea, a fractional CMO officer is kind of like a part time chief marketing officer and is an outside expert brought into your small business on a part time basis as an executive leadership to help you understand, refine and manage your marketing initiatives, your spending, your resources and even your staff in order to improve your overall sales. So basically, most small businesses don't need a full time CMO. So we come in on a part time basis to oversee every aspect of your marketing, even your internal marketing team. Second is that we also offer a flywheel marketing service which includes our team building and implementing every aspect of the flywheel marketing method for you, which we talked a little bit about small businesses making sure that they have an effective marketing strategy. This is just one way that we. Can help you do this as well. And last but not least, we offer marketing, coaching and consulting for small businesses. So with this service, you and your team will build and implement your own marketing strategy. But we'll have access to our team and our marketing experts where you'll receive guidance and you'll feel way more comfortable and confident in your marketing efforts. So to learn more about our services or to schedule a discovery call, please visit treefrogmarketing.com. Okay, but for the record, this episode isn't meant to be a sales pitch for us. But as we discussed, there's nothing more that the Treefrog team and I want more than for your small business to succeed. And we feel called to help you do exactly that. So whether that means as your marketing partner or just by providing data driven content that you can use to handle your own marketing efforts. So now, I started this episode with a question the team and I often receive. So I think it's only fitting that we wrap up this episode with a question for you. So what if ineffective marketing is the only thing preventing you from reaching your business goals? The fact of the matter is that lazy people don't start small businesses, and as a result, I think it's safe to say that you work hard in everything you do, and I think it's fair to assume that your natural inclination is to grind until you see results, and that is an incredible quality most of the time. However, what if your effort isn't the problem? What if the only thing preventing you from reaching your business goals is your marketing? You work too hard for ineffective marketing to stand in the way of reaching your goals. So please use this episode to assess the performance of your marketing efforts. And don't wait to make changes because you deserve to have a marketing strategy that works as hard as you do. And on that note, thank you for tuning in to another episode of the Priority Pursuit podcast. If you've enjoyed this episode, we hope you'll take a moment to share it with your small business friends to leave us a review on Apple Podcast, and that you'll join us next week for even more marketing boundary and priority driven tactics so the tactics that you can use to build a life and a small business that you absolutely love. And on that note, thank you for tuning in to another episode of the Priority Pursuit podcast. If you've enjoyed this episode, we hope you'll take a moment to share it with your small business friends to leave us a review on Apple Podcast, and that you'll join us next week for even more marketing boundary and priority driven tactics you can use to build a life and small business that you love.
