“A man who stops marketing to save money is like a man who stops a clock to save time.” – Henry Ford

We all have budgetary limitations, especially if you operate a small business. However, it is important not to neglect your marketing efforts, even they are small in budget but highly targeted. Here are a few tips on how to avoid some common marketing mistakes.

Don’t Take Current Customers for Granted

It’s a well-known fact that maintaining a current client is considerably cheaper than acquiring a new one. So why is it we overlook our current, loyal customers? 

More than anything, it is important to stay top of mind with your own current clients. I’ve seen salespeople lose clients that they hadn’t talked to in 6 months wonder why they lost their business to a competitor. A simple email saying “Hey do you need anything?” or “I saw this article and thought it might be interesting to you” can help let your clients know that you’re still there. 

In general, it’s also easier to get more business from current clients than starting something new with a prospect. So make sure to create some campaigns where you offer your current customers special offers or new solutions you may be offering. 

Find something that works and then focus on it

It can be tempting to try to cast a wide net and advertise on every possible channel in order to reach the highest number of people and thus potential prospects. After all, if even one of them becomes a customer, it’ll all be worth it, right?

In this scenario, probably not. Advertising on all channels takes a lot of time and money. Instead of advertising everywhere, find out where your customers and prospects spend their time (Facebook for instance) and advertise there. 

If you’re not sure how best to reach your customers, try one or two new things and measure the results, which leads us to our next point.

If you’re not generating leads, find out how immediately

So, all your marketing is generating leads for your sales team, right?

While there is value in expanding awareness of your company and products, it won’t matter how many people know about your product if no one’s buying anything.

If you need to collect leads for your sales team, find a way to capture their information so that they can follow up. Contact forms and other services can be a great way to get the information of those interested in your company. 

If your business is more e-commerce based, make sure you remarket to those that visit your store. Even more importantly, remarket to those who abandon their cart without buying anything. If you can offer even a 5% coupon if they complete their purchase, you’ll find you can recapture many prospects.