Marketing pro-tip: just chill.
Just in time for the Thanksgiving holiday, I have a little gift for you, dear small business owner. One I hope you will accept, and take to heart. If you do, it will give you peace and possibly gratitude. I promise.
Here is my gift, my friends: you have my permission to just chill when it comes to your marketing.
Now, before you get too excited, let me clarify something. I am not telling you that it’s OK to stop marketing your product or service. In fact, I’m saying the opposite. I want you to do more of it.
Whaa??
See, the problem so many small business owners face is perfectionism. They want to do it right. They want their ad, their blog, their post, their what-have-you to be perfect, so they spend enormous quantities of time perfecting it (and sometimes agonizing over it). Time they, as a small business owner with lots of other stuff to do, simply don’t have.
And the reality is that it is better to get in front of potential customers more often, than to get in front of them more perfectly. In other words, we’re talking quality over quantity. Seriously.
One word-perfect, glowing gem of a blog post won’t even come close to the effect of three or four not-so-perfect posts. One ad that has never been “good enough” to publish is definitely not as effective as an ad that people can actually see. Don’t hamstring yourself by searching for the shangri-la of an advertising ideal.
I admit that with this attitude, you’re probably never going to win a Clio Award, and you may never go viral. But, you don’t need to. What you need is to get your messaging out in front of the most potential ideal customers as you can for the money you have. And sometimes that means stepping back from the “perfect or else” ledge and just letting things fly.
Of course, that said, I do have some caveats. ‘Cause there are SOME things you have to pay attention to, whether you’re aiming at perfection or not:
For ads:
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make sure your messaging speaks to your perfect customers, clearly tells what it is you do, and (if possible) why you’re better than your competitors
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Include contact information so that people can reach you, should they choose to
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Remember your logo and URL!
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Do your best to make it eye-catching
For content marketing (more on what the heck that is coming soon!):
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make sure you are adding value to the reader/viewer
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Make sure it’s interesting (or, even better, polarizing!)
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Include ways for people to share it
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Make sure people read it on your website, or can easily find your website.
Other than that, you’re good. Just relax, and get your word out there. And even better… you know how they say practice makes perfect? Consider this practicing. You might just get to perfect, yet.
Happy small business marketing—and happy thanksgiving!
Katie & Theron
At Urban Sherpa Marketing Co. we offer marketing advisory, strategic planning, and services for small business and startups, including content marketing. Our goal is to make high-quality marketing possible for every business, no matter the size. Think of us as your outsourced marketing department, strategic marketing adviser, or even your phone-a-friend marketing lifeline. We specialize in building efficient marketing programs to grow your business without blowing the bank.
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