21 Top Marketing Mistakes Small Business Owners Make

The analogy between marketing and a business is similar to the relationship of body and food. Marketing is the heart of the business. Every business is different so each business has to offer marketing and development, which fits each unique business's need. There are many ways of developing and marketing for any business, but first let's find the true concept and definition of marketing.

Marketing definition:

"Marketing is the activity, set of institutions, and processes for creating, communicating, delivering, and exchanging offerings that have value for customers, clients, partners, and society at large".

1- Thinking advertising is marketing:

The biggest mistake most of the business owners make is to think advertising and spending money is the only marketing way exist. This group only focuses on advertising, which when the desire result is not achieved at the end of the month, they complain of how much money they wasted away. Advertisement is merely one of many ways of marketing.

2- You don't enjoy what you do:

As stated above Marketing has many ways and approaches. The main marketing for your business is to love what you do. Nothing is better than your "Love what you do" attitude since it brings out your creativity, shows your talent and tells everyone how devoted you are to your business. Your daily positive attitude defines the successful future of your business. The love of your business construe in your daily interaction with new clients, employee's moral and making important and effective marketing decisions. To be a good marketer for your business, first rule is your love for what you do.

3- Don't have a good business plan:

What is business plan?

"A written document describing the nature of the business, the sales and marketing strategy, and the financial background, and containing a projected profit and loss statement".

Having a business plan is like having a map. Many businesses start their business ignoring this very effective tool and get lost in the middle of the road. Every business plan states the exact details of the business's concept and outlines clearly the marketing strategies, profit and loss, demographic, place of business, finances and targeted niche market. In order to make a solid business plan:

A) Know your business inside and out

Knowledge of your business is important to know the answer to all the categories of business plan. If you do not know the concept of your product or service, business plan and the pillar of your business does not exist.

B) Study, analyze and scrutinize

When you know the back and forth of every detail in your business, you can access all the required information needed to project your business in a business plan. In order to access all this information you need to study, analyze and scrutinize every file and information in libraries, city records and valid informative site on the Internet.

C) Print it and have it accessible

When you put all the info together and created your fully detailed business plan, print a copy and keep a file handy and accessible.

Your projected analysis for the business works as a map to your success. Don't drive to an unknown destination, not having a map on hand.

4- Don't have any plans:

Marketing and developing its strategy is vital for every business. Marketing works as fertilizer to boost the lawn of your business. Even more importantly, marketing acts like sun to shed light and direction to your business for finding leads for the potential clients. Marketing is like having your open sign on in the dark street. I think I emphasized enough and you understood how important marketing is for any business, small or large.

5- Not analyzing the market for correct pricing.

Every business offers products or services. Then producing and providing the products and services involves certain cost and fees. Setting the price according to the market is very important and cause for a major failure for small businesses if done without market awareness. The root and source to find a perfect price is your business plan. It is necessary for every small business owner to investigate:

A) The demographic income of the targeted niche and audience:

The business plan states the average income of the targeted audience and the niche market. Set prices based on the factual statistic and spending ability of potential clients.

B) Market needs and economy balance:

An involved business owner is always aware of the market needs and the economy balance. Based on your niche market, be on top of the factors of change in economy that can impact your client's ability to spend. If you deal with bankers and investors, keep up with stock market news and its daily changes and adjust your prices regularly.

C) Competitive market prices:

A business person is always on a lookout for its competitors and is aware of their side of story. It is necessary to know your competitors and adjust your prices based on their offering and similar services.

D) Demand of the product or service:

Investigate the demand before putting the price tag on your product and service. You can find this information through the data in your business plan. Balance your prices based on the market demands;

If you projecting a good volume of sale, price it lower than competitors.

If the demand is lower and the project of volume is slow, price higher to accommodate the distance between each sale.

E) Uniqueness of the product or service:

A unique product and service in the market attracts more attention. Price it higher than other regular products.

F) Acceptable profit margin range in the area:

Profit margin's acceptability is always decided based on the market and economy as well as the market demand for the product.

Consider a big city. If you have a product or service that is unique, but projecting a high volume of demand, based on the economy and your targeted niche, the profit margin should set higher than normal.

In a small community, If you are investing on a product with limited demand, go conservative on your profit margin.

The Home Based Business Phenomena: Is It Right for You?

If you're one of the many people looking to find a business to work from home then you should consider if it's right for you. No doubt if you are looking into this type of revenue generation, then you're probably tired of working long hours for little pay, building someone else's dreams. Have you ever heard that whoever owns the business owns the dream? Well I believe that's true and if you spend most of your time working to build someone else's dreams then I hope you understand that you don't have a shot in the dark of making it big financially in this country! It will never happen! Most people are so busy making a living that they forget to live a life and before they know it they're older, their kids are grown and they don't have much to show for the "40/40" plan, working 40 hours a week for forty years of their lives. We live in the richest country in the world, so why do so many people scrape by? If you want to be successful in life, find out where 98% of the people are going and go the other way. Almost all successful people have built assets rather than work for a paycheck. They've owned their own businesses and built pipelines. So the question isn't whether a home based business is right for you, but rather can you build a successful home based business. The answer is an undoubted YES YOU CAN. But how, you may ask? First you need to decide what kind of business you'd like to operate. With so many different businesses to choose from, how do you know what's right for you? To answer this question, you must see the difference between a traditional "brick and mortar" type small business, a franchise, and a non-traditional, e-commerce type business usually referred to as MLM (multi-level marketing or Network Marketing).

First off, with traditional small businesses, there are four factors to consider: time... money... knowledge... risk.

Time: To show a profit, you'd have to be open for business for long hours every day, including weekends. Usually, a 70-90 hour work week is very realistic in this type of business model. As the owner, you'd have to be there that long, or at least hire a manager that you could trust to run most of your day to day operations and pay that person enough to stay reliable.

Money: As an owner, your overhead in this business model is fairly substantial. You have leased space for your business, insurance, paid electric/utilities, heat and water. Then you have inventory and computer and software to manage it. Usually a cash register, and you must register with a bank as a merchant to process Visa, MC, Amex, and Discover Card payments. Not to mention any other equipment needed to maintain the business.

Knowledge: How to run a small business is not taught in college. If a person does not have a relative under whose tutelage he/she can learn, they must be self-taught... in the school of Hard Knocks. Most small business beginners are shocked to find that filling out paperwork takes the equivalent of one day per week. If they don't know basic bookkeeping, they hire an Accountant. If they need advice on business structure, whether and how to use a Corporation, a Limited Partnership, or a Limited Liability Company (LLC), they hire an attorney.

In either case, they exchange money which they need for knowledge which they also need. This is a wise trade, since a small mistake made early can compound to a big problem later, but it is costly. Not to mention the sole proprietor cannot approach the competitor down the street for guidance on how best to organize his/her store. So like a person entering a dark room, they must feel their way carefully or they will trip over what they can't see. Even with care, ignorance is not bliss and can cost the owner dearly... maybe cost the enterprise to fail. Take a look at this article ( http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/business/2013/02/01/retailers-close-stores-24-7/1873745/ ).

Risk: The new businessman has "tied up" in the venture several thousands of dollars which they cannot afford to lose. Also, hundreds or even thousands of hours of their lives invested as well... which in time can never be recaptured. Look at what happened to Hostess, maker of Twinkies and Wonder Bread.

As you can see, the traditional small business venture can run upwards of tens of thousands of dollars with more "work" involved than having a job. You simply bought yourself a job with the business.

Franchising, on the other hand, is that you plug into an already proven system. People think you are "buying a franchise", but actually you invest your assets in a system to utilize the brand name operating system, and ongoing support. Think of one of the largest franchises of our time, McDonald's. People who buy a McDonald's franchise buy into the system already in place of producing Big Mac's and Filet o Fish without having to "reinvent the wheel". All you have to do is follow the "system" and your franchise will be successful, so they say. But the desire to "be my own boss" is not fully satisfied by a franchise. Franchisees cannot think of themselves as an independent owner. If they do they will be tempted to try to change the system. Does Mickey D's sell hot dogs at all? Of course not! The home office does not permit anyone to "tinker" with their formula. The franchisee owns the assets of their own franchise, but is licensed only to run someone else's business system. The desire to become a franchisee is grounded on belief that they can be more successful using someone else's brand, and operating according to their methods, than they would be if they opened up their own independent business and competed against them. The problems with most franchises like McDonald's, is that: it costs substantially more than a small business, there are royalty fees (usually 5-10% gross profit), loss of personal control... need to quit your full time job and be "locked in" to suppliers chosen by the franchisor, the inability to will your business to your family, a one-sided contract drafted by franchisor that may not fully protect your territory and interests. However, a franchise allows for: opening more quickly, developing a profitable customer base faster, has less risk, national advertising presence, built-in name recognition, strong support system that can be called upon for advice, readily identifiable trade name and goodwill associated with it, centralized, and collective buying power.

Now that you understand the differences between the two, what we need is a home based business that can adapt the best of both worlds: a way to generate full-time income with part-time work, a system that produces residual income that keeps coming in although one's advancing age eventually prevents putting in much, if any, time.

More and more companies are entering forms of innovative cooperation with outside marketers. Reducing their own in house personnel has prompted them to enter strategic business alliances or joint ventures in which two or more business entities help each other. Since the 80's, three powerful trends have converged.

First, threatened by corporate layoffs, highly capable men and women are looking for ways to diversify their income. Quite a few have asked themselves, "why go back to a corporation, even if I can find one to hire me, and risk being cut by the same layoff axe in a couple of years? Why not become an Independent Contractor?"

Second, not everyone laid off was "dead wood". When companies cut their ranks by tens of thousands, they also cut thousands who were productive. They need to hang on to the productivity of the people they did not keep. So they started scrambling to find Independent Contractors to reach their market

Third, since the early 90's, the introduction of the personal computer and soon after, the internet have allowed small, part-time businesses with few or no employees to compete on a level playing field with anyone in the world. Some of the smartest businessmen in the world have found a unique way to harness these trends to their advantage.

This is where MLM and e-commerce come in. Successful business models that harness the power of the internet and e-commerce along with the concept of independent contractors has made MLM companies a major power house in business today. Companies like Avon, Mary Kay, Herbalife, Amway, Melaleuca, Primerica, Pampered Chef, Ambit Energy, and many others have all realized the top 20 reasons for non-traditional business.

1) Low investment- usually less than $500 to start, depending on the Home Based Business opportunity..

2) No Boss-the independent contractor determines how much money to make and how hard they want to work.

3) Ability to work from home- daily commute consists of walking to your coffee pot on your kitchen counter. (That's why it's called Home Based Business!)

4) Fewer, more flexible hours- people are just too busy now a days!

5) Time-compounding through duplication- what you do and teach others to do the same adds to your business exponentially. Would you rather have 100% of your own efforts or 1% of 100 people's efforts?

6) Minimal legal liability- no person in a "downline" can create vicarious liability for the sponsor.

7) No special licenses or training to join- unlike a realtor or insurance agent.

8) No discrimination-8) No discrimination-a Network Marketing type of Home Based Business rewards a person for movement of product and sponsoring others to do the same, regardless of sex, race, creed, or religion.

9) Tax Benefits- ability to claim home office deductions, utilities, gas and mileage, and business conferences, even while on vacation as deductions.

10) No employees- one works with, but not for the parent company.

11) No risk- startup costs are trivial compared to traditional small businesses and franchises.

12) No accounts receivable and collection headache- "cash and carry" type business.

13) Inexpensive, usually free training- upline mentor has vested interest in helping downline grow so the mentor will provide any and all training to help their downline. Like a good parent guiding their child teaching them what and what not to do.

14) Early Income-possibility to recoup initial investment in first month in business.

15) Unlimited income potential- Network Marketing has no floor. You could make nothing at all. It is because of no floor that it has no ceiling either. The sky's the limit!

16) Inelastic Demand- a good Network Marketing company offers products or services that are top-quality, which people want, need and can afford, and have to buy again. Repeat business.

17) No regulatory Problems- the Parent Company takes care of all of the regulators and taxing authorities so the individual marketer is freed up to be creative.

18) Insulated against disaster- no single location; rather, it connects the country and the world with small individual participant-outlets.

19) Time flexibility of training/support system-time cost super small compared to medical school, business school, or even law school. You are in business for yourself but never by yourself.

20) Willable to one's children- Network Marketing business can be transferred to one's heirs usually estate-tax free. It's the transfer of cash flow not assets that allows your heirs to keep the wealth.

Sample Business Proposal - Be Careful!

Every entrepreneur has been there. You need to write a business plan to get your idea off the ground and have no idea how to approach it. The first thing most people do is Google, "Sample business proposal." Why? Well, it's quite simple really. They want to get a head start on the process by looking at what someone else has written. It is an understandable position to take if you are under pressure and need a boost. What people don't realise is that there are inherent dangers in using a sample business proposal.

There are many very good examples of sample business proposals on the Internet, but there are also some scarily bad examples being held up as first class efforts. Having spent the last 20 years as a professional banker and investor I can say this with some degree of confidence.

The bottom line is that even if you do manage to stumble upon a great example it won't be relevant to your unique business or the market dynamics that pertain to your business idea. The parties who will assess your proposal and decide whether to invest are generally well trained and experienced. They read hundreds of these documents every month and can spot a copy and paste job a mile a way.

Will A Sample Business Proposal Help Me?

Using a sample business proposal is OK if you are just looking for some tips on how to structure your own proposal. Of course this is predicated on the fact that the example aligns well with your business and is a good example. If you are looking around the Internet for sample business proposals it's a fair bet that you are not sure what is a good example and what is a bad one. For this reason you may borrow heavily from a poor example and this will actually detract from the thrust of your effort.

There are too many people on the Internet these days offering quick fix solutions or shortcuts to preparing business proposals to attract funding. On balance these solutions are not adequate to get you funding. Here's why:

1. They encourage entrepreneurs to use other people's business proposals as a template that dilutes the originality and can lead to the inclusion of data that is irrelevant.

2. They lead to entrepreneurs skimming over the research component leading to a proposal that is disjointed and fails to make a cohesive business case.

3. Having a sample business proposal as a guide detracts from the entrepreneur engaging fully in the business planning process in that they will have only a cursory understanding of the finer details of their proposal.

4. It will not prepare the entrepreneur for detailed questioning around their business strategy and by association their financial projections.

We have seen this all too often in presentations for equity finance. It is glaringly obvious when someone does not understand the proposal intimately and this devastates credibility and trust, virtually nullifying your chances of convincing an investor to part with their cash.

So How Should I Use A Sample Business Proposal?

We genuinely believe that using a sample business proposal is not a good idea unless you are only looking for a structural outline. Even in this case you would need to scan a fairly broad cross section of examples to get a representative sample to form an independent opinion. There is nothing more frustrating than a pitch which doesn't flow and where the entrepreneur is clearly "winging it". We have rejected more pitches for this reason than any other.

The only time we would recommend using a sample business proposal is if you are approaching a bank for finance and they provide an example of what they would like to see. However, banks don't provide samples, they provide templates, which is basically them trying to educate entrepreneurs before they apply for finance. In this case this is the bank endorsing a structure for the proposal so it is OK. It still leaves all the blanks to fill in though so it isn't really a full solution to your problem.

About Business Bankruptcy

Though businesses aren't immune from the financial struggles that individuals and families face, they also have similar solutions. A business becomes bankrupt when its cash flow isn't enough to pay all the bills. While businesses have the option of filing for bankruptcy, sometimes business owners wait too long and an involuntary bankruptcy is forced upon them. Creditors can even impose a lien that forces business owners to make payments on assets. Fortunately, the negative effects of bankruptcy don't affect businesses nearly as much as individuals or families.

Regardless, business bankruptcy is a complicated process that takes owners away from the duties of running their business. Before considering a business bankruptcy, most business owners should:

· Negotiate with creditors to try to determine a different repayment plan that is manageable for business and its finances

· Discuss strategies with their CPA to determine if there are areas where costs can be cut and cash used more effectively

· See if they qualify for an emergency loan through the Small Business Administration

How to File for a Business Bankruptcy

Even if you take all the necessary precautions, it might not be enough to solve your business's financial quandaries. When filing for a business bankruptcy becomes the only option left, working with a bankruptcy attorney ensures that you correctly go through the process of filing and follow federal bankruptcy rules. With so many differences between a business bankruptcy and an individual one, not to mention the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act of 2005, the expertise of a bankruptcy attorney becomes a major asset for businesses.

To successfully file for bankruptcy, businesses must determine which option is best for them:

1. Chapter 7. Most businesses try to avoid a Chapter 7 bankruptcy, since this usually marks the end of the business. With this type of business bankruptcy, assets are liquidized and the funds used to pay back the debts of the business. The court appoints a trustee to administer the entire process and ensure that creditors are getting their fare share.

2.Chapter 11. With a Chapter 11 business bankruptcy, the organization is restructured to allow the company to continue operating. Both the court and creditors can be highly involved with how the business restructures itself for future growth and financial health.

3. Chapter 13. This option is usually limited to sole proprietors who individually want to protect their assets and ensure that they are protected from the business bankruptcy. Like Chapter 11, the business is restructured and the court reviews the reorganization plan.

How to Choose the Right Type of Bankruptcy

While Chapter 13 is clearly for sole proprietors, other businesses and organizations can struggle to determine which business bankruptcy option is right for them. Fortunately, a bankruptcy attorney can help determine if liquidation or reorganization is best. Typically, a bankruptcy attorney will suggest Chapter 7 if the business is not a major public corporation, doesn't have any foreseeable economic boost, has no intangible assets, and if the owner wants to close the business. However, a bankruptcy attorney might suggest Chapter 11 if the business can survive in the long-run.

Choosing the Tools for Social Media for Small Business

The initial part of this series explored the need for small businesses to use social media and what were some of the critical steps in the process. Questions were raised to assist the small business owner to focus their efforts in the best way possible to achieve the desired results based upon the overall objectives and goals of the marketing plan. It gave a few tips on how to specifically identify the target audience and where they could be found on social media.

It is possible to compare the selection of the tools for social media to how a farmer selects the tools. First he/she surveys the land to determine the best type of crop to plant. This is similar to the owner reviewing the business website. The website for the small business is very much like the land for the farmer. It must be easy to use, provide content, contains various ways for people to interact with business and other ways to link with the business. As the farmer begins to make a choice of crop or crops to plant, he/she identifies who will be buying the crops. For the owner, it is the identification of the target audience. The farmer then makes the selection of the crop or crops that will produce the greatest results for them and develops a plan or process that will be used to plant the crops. This includes the review of the tools the farmer has on hand and the tools he/she needs to purchase or lease to complete the job of planting. Thus the farmer reviews each of their tools to ensure they are in good condition and able to perform effectively the tasks that need to be accomplished.

As the farmer makes the decisions about crops, the owner has to make the choice of the products or services he/she are going to provide to customers. The owner must review the website and began asking the questions that will assist in making the correct decisions on improvement.

For instance,

How effective has the website been in assisting creating more sales?

What kind of content are we providing that helps prospective customers?

What is on the site that keeps the customer captured in order for them to spend more time looking at other products?

Do I have links to other social media sites?

Do I have a place for them to sign up for something free I am giving them?

What other things can I offer to them to keep them on the site longer or have them buy a product or service?

The implements for the farmer are limited by the type of product they are going to produce and the overall size of the area to be planted. For the owner, the implements for social media are much more varied and are dependent on the target audience and the overall time that a small business owner plans to expand on social media. Presently, the major tools being used include: Facebook, Twitter; LinkedIn; You Tube; and Google+.

While the ones listed above are the most popular and used most often, they are not the only tools that are available for a small business. Some other tools being used are Tumblr, Slideshare, Instagram, Foursquare, Yelp, Pinterest, Gentlemint and Merchant Circle. Each one of these tools provides different formats and reaches different audiences.

So much as the farmer decides on the best tools for planting the crops, small business owners must do the same thing. As we review the popular tools, it is important for you as the small business owner to keep in mind your target audience; also, the amount of time you want to expend in using social media.

Social media tools discussed below have requirements that you create a profile. The profile will differ somewhat between social media platforms. It is important that the owner complete each of the profiles. This becomes the key for people to learn to know about the owner and the services or products that the company provides. Some of the requested information include: name, picture, professional headline, current title, web sites, public profile, summary, specialties, experience, education, interests, groups and associations, skills, personal information, contact settings, and companies.

The tool called Facebook is one of the most popular of the tools and is constantly growing. Businesses of all sizes are using this tool. Businesses create fan pages and business pages to promote their business. They ask people to like their pages in order to create greater number of followers. When they post updates people who have asked to get notifications and feeds will get them. This is a way for them to promote their brands, events, and coupons. Before selecting this as the place where you want your business listed as an owner must understand that just posting a page is not sufficient. It requires time to place status updates and respond to updates in a timely manner. It is about the relationship you are creating. Prior to select this tool the owner should check for the demographics of the website to ensure it fits the target audience.

LinkedIn as a tool is one of the most powerful tools for connecting with professionals. It is a tool that allows a person to develop a professional profile, upload a resume and join groups, create groups and follow individuals and companies. It is a good source to find information about a person or company. It is an excellent way to connect to other professionals across the nation and world as well as generate request for introductions to others. It allows a user to maintain a contact list of people they know and trust in business and can use to help connect with others. As with other tools, it must be used professionally and needs to have ongoing maintenance. Interactions are also important in establishing your creditability with this tool.

Twitter is another of the more popular tools in social media. It requires more attention than others because it is more like carrying on several conversations. It is used worldwide and can be considered a micro blogging site. It is a good tool to keep people posted as to what is occurring in your industry and information that as a business should be shared with others. It is a means of connecting with leaders in your industry and finding out their thoughts and how they influence people. As with the other tools, it requires a time commitment to maintain and respond to twits or updates from people.

YouTube is a video sharing social media site that is owned by Google. This site has grown considerably and is now the number two search engine. Business and individuals use this as a means of connecting with people using a visual mode. Studies show that people will watch a short video rather than read a large amount of data. It is also used as an educational platform and provides various types of self-development information. It is a great platform for delivering video-based testimonials, how to guides and commercials promoting products and/or services. As with other tools, a business can subscribe to other users and receive information when new posts are made. Before selecting this medium recognize that new videos will need to be developed and uploaded to be an effective tool.

Google+ (Google Plus) is a relative new tool as far as social media is concerned. It is used by both businesses and individuals. It provides a few more tools to use within the site than some of the others. Some of them include: Circles, Hangouts, Messenger, Instant Upload of Photos, Hashtags, Explore posts, Find People, Events, Find Local Businesses, Create Business Pages and more. The features make it easy for an individual to use. Since it is part of the Google product line one must have a Google Email account to use Google+. As a whole when viewed with the other Google product provides a great arsenal of tools to assist small business become more successful.

The tools we have briefly discussed are some of the most powerful being used presently, but they are only as good as the owner who selects to use them. The owner must remember that as a farmer selects the tools, the owner must do the same that are best for the designed marketing plan. The use of the tools themselves for owner is most important. Once the farmer prepares the field with the right tools and plants the seed, it is now important to water the seeds and plants until it is time to harvest. The owner has prepared his website, selected the social media tools based upon the marketing design, prepared each of the sites with the requested profiles and published each of the sites.

Now as the farmer waters the owner must use the status updates, tweets, messages, videos, slides. Responding to comments is also the way that a owner works with small business to establish the know, like and trust factors. This must be done with consistency overtime. As discussed in the previous article, social media is the developing of relationships with people and that does not happen quickly. Thus it is of utmost importance that a regular schedule be developed and implemented on a weekly basis.

The next segment of the series will review and look at social media sites that are up and coming and sites that are very powerful but have not gained in the overall popularity. As with the others, each has its strengths and weaknesses. Each therefore has different demographics and different targets. The business owner needs to have an understanding in order to select the best tool. A discussion of some of the sites that are better for international use will also be discussed. The subsequent articles will deal with tools to use to make using social media a little easier and ways to measure the return on investment of social media. The final part of the series will discuss other web-based tools that can assist small business become more effective in delivering services and products to customers.