How Small Businesses Should be Spending Their Time!

As a small business owner, time is your most valuable asset. Yet, many entrepreneurs find themselves caught up in activities that yield little to no return on investment.

We explored five common time-wasters that small businesses should avoid to focus on more productive strategies.

Over-optimising and continually re-optimising pages

Many businesses fall into the trap of constantly tweaking their website pages in the name of SEO. However, this approach often leads to diminishing returns. Instead, focus on the basics:

• Ensure each page clearly conveys what you do and where you do it (for service-based businesses)
• For ecommerce, focus on what you’re selling and who it’s for
• Once a page effectively communicates these points, move on

Remember, Google prefers pages that are great for end-users, not over-optimised for search engines.

Building (or buying) links

Despite being an outdated tactic, many small businesses still invest in link-building services.

This practice is not only ineffective but can potentially harm your site’s reputation. Instead of buying links:

• Focus on creating valuable content that naturally attracts links
• Build relationships within your industry for organic link opportunities
• Invest in other, more effective marketing strategies

“Hit and hope” advertising

Many small businesses spread their advertising budget too thin by trying to target everyone, everywhere.

This approach rarely yields good results. Instead:

• Focus on your core audience, products, or services
• Start with a narrow, well-defined target and expand as you see success
• Remember that a smaller, more focused campaign often performs better than a broad, unfocused one

Running unfocused brand awareness campaigns

While brand awareness is important, running generic campaigns without clear goals or call-to-actions is often a waste of resources.

When creating social media campaigns:

• Always include a clear call-to-action
• Ensure your targeting aligns with your ideal customer profile
• Focus on campaigns that drive measurable results (leads, sales) rather than just impressions

Creating pointless content

Many businesses fall into the trap of creating content for the sake of content, often based on misguided advice about posting frequency. Instead:

• Focus on creating high-quality, valuable content for your audience
• Align your content strategy with your business goals
• Quality over quantity – it’s better to post less frequently but with more impactful content

Conclusion

As a small business owner, it’s crucial to critically evaluate your marketing activities and focus on strategies that drive real results. By avoiding these common time-wasters, you can redirect your efforts towards more effective tactics that will help grow your business.

Remember, the key to successful marketing is to keep it simple.

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