A few years ago, I needed to lease a car. The previous car that I loved had broken down, and I needed a car to replace it. No bells, no whistles, nothing fancy. I just needed an immediate replacement. (Okay, and I wanted it to be grey, so I didn’t have to wash it often.)

 

When I went to a dealership, they kept asking leading questions that felt a bit manipulative, and it resulted in more and more upgrades that I didn’t need. (read: spending more money) The whole time I felt like I was getting duped. The experience felt very transactional, and the worst part was I felt like I had to spend money on something that wasn’t of any value to me.

 

Now, my dream car is a red Ferrari. If I were to walk into a Ferrari dealership, I would be their ideal client. They wouldn’t need to try to sell me on any bells and whistles; they wouldn’t feel the need to upgrade me to convince me to purchase. I know exactly what I want because I see the value in a Ferrari.

 

This same scenario can be applied to our wedding or creative event clients. How many times has someone complained or haggled over pricing because they didn’t see value in what you were offering? Wouldn’t you rather have a client that understands and appreciates what you bring to the table? A client that’s happy to pay your worth?

 

It all comes down to marketing. Excellent marketing is simply telling your ideal client who you are, what you offer, and the value you bring to the table.

 

When marketing isn’t working in your favor, i.e., you’re not getting the right clients as results, there’s a problem within your marketing. There are 8 marketing struggles that occur again and again within business. Let’s chat about them.

 

 

8 MARKETING STRUGGLES of business

 

1) You don’t have brand alignment or personalization

 

If you don’t understand who you are and who you’re targeting, you don’t know what those people want and how to market to those people.

 

2) You don’t understand campaign and content ROI

 

Data sources such as ad platforms, pixel tracking, conversion measurement systems, payment processors, sales recovery systems, and third-party attribution platforms all tell a story as to what is producing the most profound marketing results. Numbers don’t lie.

Do you understand what they mean, and are they doing what you want?

 

3) You don’t have a strategic content calendar

 

Without taking the time to sit down and plan a strategic content calendar, you start posting blindly, inconsistently, or you don’t post at all.

Anything you create that isn’t meaningful to your brand is wasting your precious time and energy. And speaking of time…

 

4) You don’t have the time for marketing

 

When you don’t put the time into your marketing plan initially, everything that follows is going to zap your time.

This might look like following up on leads that don’t pan out or taking clients that aren’t your ideal fit, you know, those who don’t value your worth, so they end up taking up more of your time and effort for less pay.

 

5) You don’t have the budget for marketing

 

You don’t have to spend a lot of money on marketing. Many free marketing platforms are effective in marketing your business. You have to look at what works for you because it won’t be the same for everyone. Only use what you need to be effective.

 

6) You have a gap in technology knowledge

 

As creatives, we usually are not computer or tech-savvy, or, if we are, we simply don’t like being behind a screen. We’re creatives!

When you don’t have a clear marketing goal, technology becomes overwhelming and starts to feel like a chore. Technology should be helpful, not a hindrance. Getting clear on your goal will narrow down what type of marketing you need to do to achieve your desired results and nothing more.

 

7) You aren’t using SEO

 

SEO is how people find you. It’s how you attract the right people who are looking for your exact services.

If you aren’t optimizing for SEO or if you don’t know who it is you’re targeting, you’re going to continuously get clients who aren’t the right fit.

 

8) You aren’t creating actionable leads

 

Whether you’re sending out a proposal, creating an email newsletter, or sharing a valuable resource on your website, there are strategies to encourage your readers to take action.

If you’re not implementing these, you’re missing out on leads.

 

Sound familiar?

If one or more of these struggles sounds all too familiar, your marketing plan needs to be adjusted. Otherwise, you’re going to be spinning your wheels and not getting any closer to your goals or your ideal clients. It’s incredibly frustrating, but I can help.

 

Hop on a free, one-on-one call with me so we can dive deep into your marketing plan and uncover the areas you need to adjust or revamp, so you can land the clients that understand your value and worth.