Are you marketing on the wrong side of the tracks?

One of the most common challenges small businesses face is selecting the right mix of marketing disciplines. It’s a crucial decision, yet many business owners stumble here, leading to wasted resources and poor results. Why? Because they often skip the most important first step: Understanding their target market.

Instead of starting with a clear picture of their ideal customer, their problems, needs and where they spend their time, many business owners dive headfirst into marketing channels based on personal preferences or popular trends. This approach leads to a marketing strategy that’s disjointed and ineffective, with business owners left wondering why their efforts aren’t paying off.

To avoid this, it’s essential to step back and focus on the fundamentals before committing to any marketing channel.

 

Down the rabbit hole

A common mistake is for business owners to select marketing platforms they’re familiar with or those they believe are popular, without considering whether those platforms align with their target audience. Take these examples:

• A professional legal firm specialising in business law decides to run its marketing campaigns on Facebook, Instagram and even TikTok. The problem? Their target market consists of business professionals who are more likely to be found on LinkedIn or at in-person industry events. While social media can be useful, choosing platforms like TikTok makes little sense for reaching decision-makers in the business law space.
• An accounting firm records a promotional video, but without a clear plan for how or where to distribute it. This results in a video that sits unused because there was no forethought on how to reach the right audience or integrate it into a broader marketing strategy.
• A human resources consultancy takes out a billboard ad next to the highway. While this might increase visibility, it’s an expensive choice for a service that thrives on building personal trust and credibility. The audience driving past on the highway may not be the best fit for such a specialised service, and will certainly not be able to make a note of the phone number or email address at 120km/h.

These examples are all too common. Business owners often get caught up in the shiny allure of a new platform or a sales pitch from a marketing vendor and they end up making decisions that don’t serve their business goals. This lack of alignment between the platform and the target audience is what leads to disappointing outcomes.

 

Where the grass is greener

The solution to avoiding these missteps is deceptively simple: Know your audience first. Every marketing project must begin with a deep understanding of who your ideal customers are. Ask yourself these questions:

• Who are they?
• What problems or challenges are they facing?
• What solutions are they seeking?
• Where do they spend their time, both online and offline?
• How do they prefer to engage with businesses like yours?

Only after you’ve answered these questions can you begin to identify the most appropriate marketing channels.
 

How to vibe with your tribe

Once you’ve identified your audience and their habits, the next step is to apply common sense and business experience. Don’t let yourself be swayed by the latest trends or the promises of marketing vendors. Instead, ask yourself and your team these qualified questions:

• Does this marketing platform genuinely align with where my customers are?
• Does it make sense for my type of business?
• Will this channel help solve my customers’ problems?
• What return on investment can I expect?

If the answer to any of these questions is unclear, it’s time to reconsider. A well-planned marketing strategy isn’t about doing what everyone else is doing. It’s about choosing the right channels that resonate with your audience and help build relationships that matter.
 

Through the looking glass

In the end, marketing is only effective when it’s tailored to the right audience on the right platforms. Before jumping into any marketing project, take the time to understand your customers, their needs and their habits. By identifying where they spend their time and what type of communication they prefer, you’ll be in a much stronger position to select the marketing channels that will actually drive results for your business.

Marketing should be a strategic investment, not a guessing game. When you start with your audience first, the right choices become clear, and your marketing efforts will be far more impactful.