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Guest Post from M4B Marketing by Susan Oakes

You probably know this trap, you start with good intentions to become healthier, try eating better foods and when you don’t lose a lot of weight quickly you stop.

A  few months later, usually around spring you try one of latest fad diets to get in shape before summer, however in a couple of weeks you stop again.

With small business marketing it can be quite easy to fall into this trap. You decide you need to attract more customers so you try a few marketing tactics for a little while. When you don’t get the results you anticipated you stop, only to start using other marketing tactics a few weeks later.

Whether you want to become healthier or gain results from your marketing activities, choosing the right program to suit you and being consistent with your efforts is important.

Here are a few tips to help you avoid the marketing diet trap:

Make sure everything is in place before your start

This means check that your product or service is in good shape for the customers you want to attract or retain. Ensure what you are offering contains the features and benefits that they desire.

Set realistic objectives

Sure it would be great to increase sales 150% or gain 50 extra customers in a week, but it is unlikely to happen. Look at what you want to achieve with your customers over a period of time, say 6 months or a year.

Choose the right strategy and start slowly

Business success is not a sprint and the best marketers pace themselves as it is usually a long journey. For longer term success you need to have in place a solid marketing strategy first. Then you choose the marketing tactics to implement over the year.

Get support

This could be a business partner, your family or friends, business friends, coach etc who will encourage as you progress and help keep you on track. Let them know what you are striving to achieve and give them regular updates.

Reward yourself along the way

If your objectives are to be realised in 6 or 12 months then break them down in months or weeks so you can celebrate the wins as you progress. This will help you keep motivated and on track for success.

The main thing to remember is that if you keep going back to the marketing diet tap it will cost more time and money with little to show for your efforts.

How to you avoid the marketing diet trap? Please share your tips

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