At JumperCable Marketing, our only business is helping small business owners improve their marketing.  It's surprising how often we encounter the same issues time and again when we first analyze a new client's marketing situation.  To help others avoid the same problems, we offer this summary of the six most common mistakes we see small businesses making with their marketing:

• A poorly defined brand or customer proposition.  From the owner's perspective it's usually perfectly clear why someone should choose to do business with them.  That's not always the case when you look at it objectively from the customer perspective.  Often we discover simple communication breakdowns that when addressed, greatly improve marketing effectiveness.  Fixing these issues is often not expensive.
  
• Dependence on expensive, traditional media.  Simply spending more on the things they've always done is not a formula for success when so much has changed in marketing.  There's a reason so many traditional tools like newspapers, Yellow Pages and radio are suffering.  For most companies they simply don't work as well as many of the newer marketing options.
  
• Not taking advantage of high-impact, low-cost social media tools  like Facebook, Yelp and Twitter.  A small business that delivers a great product with extraordinary customer service can have the wind at its back by employing happy customers as "virtual evangelists" for the business.  Satisfied customers are the most credible marketing known to man.  The technology makes their impact viral.   Social media can also bite a company that disappoints customers.  Regardless, you need to know how social media works and where you stand.
  

• Crummy search engine marketing.  Thanks to Google, Bing and Ask, search is often the small business' most efficient marketing tool.  Not doing what it takes to be found when someone is actively looking for what you offer is tragic and expensive.
• Not keeping score.   Measuring and tracking the performance of different marketing tactics in order to gauge  effectiveness.  Doing so allows a business to do more of the things that work while eliminating less effective tactics.  Measuring and keeping track is not that hard once you know how to do it.
• DIY marketing planning.  While it's possible to maintain a modern marketing program on your own, it's virtually impossible to acquire the knowledge and experience to properly evaluate the marketing situation and create a successful plan while running a small business.  The financial and opportunity costs of implementing a poor plan grow exponentially over time and can ultimately lead to the failure of an otherwise sound business.

You don't have to make these mistakes.  JumperCable is happy to talk to you about your situation and show you how easy and affordable effective marketing can be.  Call us today.