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Why is Marketing So Hard For Small Businesses?



Hi, I'm Yulia—Growth and Marketing professional. I want you to know that I see you and I know your struggles. I have been marketing product designed to simplify workflows of small businesses and I have witnessed how hard it is to run one, especially if you are a solopreneur.


When did marketing become so hard?

It's like just owning a business and having a million random tasks is not enough, you also have to do marketing. But do it on your own, because hiring a professional is not cheap. Also, do it right from the get-go, because you most likely won't have energy for the endless trial and error. Also, keep doing it continuously—marketing is a never-ending process. Whoa, I'd be close to deciding to never do marketing after reading this, it made me nervous... The most common scenario—some attempts to promote the product are made, but without external help they may be lacking structure and strategy. Putting all that effort in and getting no result can be very frustrating!


It's a bit of a vicious cycle, too: entrepreneurs want to grow their businesses but don't know where to begin. These efforts may not bring the desired increase in sales so you stop trying. No marketing means less revenue, it feels like a trap.


Ironically, marketing in itself is simple : you are talking about the product you are passionate about, to people with a problem which your product would solve. In an ideal world, it is a sincere conversation and a truthful promise that often ends with a purchase and a satisfied customer.


Too bad we are light years away from this setup. On the one side, there is an entrepreneur, lost at where to make themselves heard: on the main city square, on social media, in a newspaper, make a skywriting?? Also, who should they talk to—men or women, which age group, which income level, who is most likely to buy? My favourite—how would we convince the potential buyers, which problem is the product supposed to solve? Or even—wait, which exactly problem does my product solve? You'd be surprised how many digital products don't have a clear answer for this...


Where do you begin with marketing?


There is hope though. It will require some patience and battling the feeling that you need to run at maximum speed. The action plan has 2 steps:

  • Marketing audit

  • Marketing strategy


Marketing audit is just a fancy way of saying that all relevant data concerning your business marketing is collected and evaluated.

  • What is your product?

  • Which problem does it solve?

  • Who is buying it, or who is it made for?

  • What are the main competitors?

  • Are you visible to your potential customers, both offline and online?

  • What are your main skills as a business owner? What's that you can do best?


Marketing strategy is what follows, it is a roadmap of how to reach the business goal with all the limitations the business has—financial, human resource, time...


  • What are we marketing, how to position the product that is offered?

  • Who are the potential buyers? Are there multiple segments?

  • Where will the product be discovered and sold?

  • Which promotion channels are the best for reaching out to potential buyers?


It's not an easy task, but an essential one. Without it it's like being on a ship with no sails—you are at a complete mercy of the wind, unable to steer. You go where the flow takes you, and it can be dangerous.


After 10 years of working for small startups I have mastered the skill of navigating scarcity. My usual task as a marketer or a growth hacker would be: "Do it well, do it fast and make it affordable". I am trained to find creative workarounds in order to achieve growth on a budget.


How can I help you?

I introduced a great feature to my services—you can do a full marketing audit of your business. It includes an intake call of 30 minutes, comprehensive analysis of your marketing activity and a clear set of recommendations on how to improve your brand visibility on a budget, free or low-cost methods are preferred, and a final presentation of 1 hour.


Would you like to order a marketing strategy from me, too? Great, we can do that! However I made sure that the audit works as a standalone service, too, and is already helpful for boosting your business!


Let's have a chat! You can book a free intro call via this link. Hope to see you soon!




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