But don't throw in your work towel just yet— it's possible to turn that marketing frown upside down and achieve results.
Find where your marketing ship sprung a leak
Before you can fix what's broken, you need to figure out where the problems are hiding.
Step 1: Take a good hard look at what you're doing
- What's on your website? (Besides that stock photo from 2012 that everyone uses)
- How's your social media doing? (Are you talking to actual humans or just posting into the void?)
- Check those flyers and ads—are they exciting or more likely to become tomorrow's bird cage liner?
- Who are you trying to reach? (Hint: "everyone with a pulse and a wallet" is not specific enough)
Know your dream customer (and I don't mean "anyone with money")
Trying to appeal to everyone is like making a pizza with every possible topping—sounds good in theory, tastes terrible in practice.
- Get specific! Instead of "homeowners," think "homeowners, aged 45+ whose DIY projects always start in YouTube tutorial marathons and end in an emergency call to a professional"
- Think about where they're located—do you really want to spend half your day stuck in traffic driving from Yanchep to Mandurah, or would you rather work closer to home where you can fit in more jobs and still make it to your kid's soccer game?
- Talk to your favourite existing customers—what made them choose you over the competition? Was it your charming personality or your amazing work? (Let's hope it was both!)
By zeroing in on your ideal customer, you'll attract more folks who'll appreciate what you do—and who won't haggle you down to working for the price of a sandwich.
Set goals that make sense
"I want more business" is about as helpful as saying "I want more happiness." Let's get real about what you're after.
Different marketing tools do different jobs:
- Some bring in hot leads ready to hire you today (aka lead generation)
- Others remind people you exist for when their toilet explodes at 2 AM (aka brand awareness)
- And some keep your current customers from running off to that new competitor with the fancy truck (aka customer retention)
Keep tweaking until it works
Marketing isn't a "set it and forget it" infomercial product. It's more like cooking—you taste, adjust the seasoning, taste again, until it's just right.
When something flops, don't beat yourself up—even the biggest companies have marketing fails (remember New Coke?). Instead, look at what happened, learn from it, and try something a little different next time.
Remember, the path to marketing success isn't a straight line—it's more like trying to walk a dog that's spotted a squirrel. Stay flexible, keep your sense of humour, and eventually, you'll get where you want to go!
