The Biggest Marketing Mistake New Entrepreneurs Make

 Are you making this mistake in your marketing?

I have been teaching marketing to coaches and small business owners for over 10 years. For many new business owners, marketing is intimidating and overwhelming. Business owners also find marketing frustrating when they feel like they are not seeing a return on their investment. I often hear comments from clients like: nothing is working; advertising is a waste of money; I don’t have any money to invest in marketing; I don’t know what else to try…

Does one or more of these comments sound familiar? Do you feel like you are struggling to understand marketing and create a plan that works? If you are frustrated and disillusioned with the results you are seeing from your marketing, it could be because your perspective on creating marketing content is skewed.

The number one mistake that business owners make is to create marketing content, which includes everything from your website, business card and 30-second commercial to any brochures or other marketing collateral, that is what I call “me-focused” marketing instead of “you-focused” marketing.

Here are a couple of ways you can recognize if your marketing is “me-focused”

• Your business card has a laundry list of all the services that you provide – for example a printer might list all of the different types of printing they can do for you
• Your brochure is full of all the features of your business but doesn’t mention any benefits – for example a coach lists all the different types of training they have received and the tools they use to help people
• Your website doesn’t say anything about who you serve or the problems you solve for them – it just repeats the laundry list of services, features and tools
• You don’t focus on building relationships or educating clients about how to help you – you aren’t actively engaging in conversation with your clients through social media, networking or blogging

To create a successful marketing campaign requires a major shift in your mindset. Most of us go into business because we have a valuable skill or tool that we want to share with the world – we see ourselves as experts at helping people and often, we are passionate about helping as many people as we can. So our marketing tends to focus on “ME” – what I as the business owner do best and how I do it using all the different tools, tactics, and skills I have learned along the way.

But the truth most business owners don’t understand or value is that people don’t buy you or the tools you use. What your prospects are looking for is solutions to their problems. My favorite three Ps in marketing are Pains, Problems and Predicaments. Understanding the problems your clients most want to have solved is the secret to marketing success. This is why you have to shift your marketing mindset from “me-focused” to “you-focused.”

How do you accomplish this?

Here are ways to create client-focused marketing content:

• Make sure you are clear about your niche and have a written profile of who your ideal client is.
• Think about your current clients – what do they say about you and the problems you are solving?
• What are the most common Three Ps running through your client’s head?
• What pain, problems or predicaments are you best at solving for others?
• All of your marketing content should be written in a way that showcases the solutions you offer for your ideal client.

If you need help shifting your marketing mindset, I can help you clarify your niche and create a clear identify for your ideal client so that your marketing content will call out to him/her. When you achieve this, it makes it so much easier for your prospects to select you – meaning more clients for you with less effort! Apply now for one of my Free 30-Minute Marketing Mindset Breakthrough sessions. I guarantee that at the end of our conversation you will have more clarity and at least one action step that you can take to increase your ROI on your marketing. Click here to apply now.