5 signs you’re overcomplicating your marketing

Marketing your business really doesn’t have to be this big, confusing, complicated thing that you’ve built it up to be. If it is, you’re probably overcomplicating it. Here are 5 sure-fire signs that you’re overcomplicating how you market your business.

 

 

 

5 signs you're overcomplicating your marketing

With so many different strategies and tactics for marketing your business, it's far too easy to overcomplicate it all. It's easy to bite off more than you can chew, and find yourself struggling to keep up with everything.

Here are 5 signs you need to take a step back and stop overcomplicating your marketing.

1. Marketing your business feels like you're pushing an elephant up the stairs

If marketing your business feels difficult, confusing, overwhelming or exhausting, something isn’t right. It shouldn’t feel like this – it should all flow with ease. 

If it does feel like you’re pushing an elephant up the stairs, chances are that there’s something not quite right with your branding, or you’re not crystal clear on your messaging, or you’re confused about who you’re marketing your business to, or you’re using the wrong marketing platforms.

Of course, there are other reasons why it might feel difficult, but these are some of the most common ones I see. What most business owners in this situation will then go and do is MORE marketing. Rather than fixing the root cause, they’ll run MORE Facebook Ads or share MORE Instagram posts.

The most important thing is to get your brand foundations right first.

2. There’s no consistency to your marketing tactics

One day you’re on Instagram, the next day you’re on Youtube, the next day you’re frantically Googling “How to start a podcast”.

The only consistent thing about how you market your business is that you’re consistently changing your tactics. You’ve probably heard the quote: “Success doesn’t come from what you do occasionally, it comes from what you do consistently.” Marketing your business is no exception to this.

Whatever marketing tactics and platforms you choose, you need to be consistent with them. Whether that’s consistently sending email newsletters to your list, consistently publishing podcast episodes, consistently posting to Instagram. The key is that you stick with it, even if you don’t see results right away.

3. You’re chasing sparkly squirrels

This ties in nicely with the point about consistency, because it’s really hard to stay consistent when you’re always chasing the latest, greatest thing. And, the thing about the “sparkly squirrels” is that they're so shiny and distracting, it can be hard to realise we're chasing one until it's too late.

Now, this isn't to say that you shouldn’t seize opportunities when they arise but, before diving straight in, you should take a step back and ask yourself:

• How does this tie into the bigger picture of my marketing strategy?
• How does this bring me closer to my bigger business goals?
• And, is this a valuable use of my time, money and energy?

4. You dread marketing your business, or you feel icky about it

If the thought of writing an Instagram caption, sending out an email newsletter or writing a blog post makes you feel yuck, anxious or anything other than excited, you’re probably overcomplicating your marketing.

Promoting your business shouldn’t make you feel icky. You should feel proud that you’re sharing your amazing product or service with the world, so that you can make a difference and impact these people.

5. You have no idea what to say in your social media posts

If you freeze up every time it comes to writing a social media caption, chances are you don’t have your messaging crystal clear – and this is one of the biggest signs you’re overcomplicating it. Not being crystal clear on your messaging is what leads to inconsistency in what you post, and it confuses your audience.

There’s nothing more confusing than a brand that doesn’t know whether it’s Arthur or Martha. So it’s pretty important you stop overcomplicating your brand messaging.

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