You’ve finally been consistent with some marketing for your small business (pats self on back) but it’s been a few months with not a lot to show for the work and time invested. You don’t have much more website traffic, you haven’t had more calls or emails from potential clients and your audiences don’t seem to be growing. You can’t help but wonder, when is it time for a new marketing strategy?

I usually tell clients not to get impatient with their marketing because this is typically the real issue. You definitely do not want to keep changing something before it’s given time to work. SEO, paid ads and social media audiences are all good examples of marketing methods that don’t work overnight. If you change your strategy too drastically or too often, it can kill any progress you may have built up so far or have the potential to build if you make a few minor adjustments.

There’s also often an issue with proper goal setting in the first place. Make sure the goals you have for your marketing translate to actual business goals and not just growing something for growth’s sake. A large Instagram following doesn’t always mean business growth, for example.

There are, however, good reasons to change your marketing strategy. Here are a few:

When none of the following need work or fixing with your current marketing strategy.

I always recommend a quick audit before dramatically changing anything about your marketing because, let’s face it, we entrepreneurs can get pretty impatient when it comes to business success. Make sure you’ve done the following before you blame your marketing plan.

✔️You’ve followed best practices with the marketing, including strong content, optimal timing and clear calls to action.

✔️You’ve given a type of marketing at least 6 months to get results or show some growth.

✔️You’ve kept track of basic analytics to get an accurate picture of the marketing’s results (or lack thereof).

✔️Your contact buttons are working and nothing is blocking leads from getting to you.

If these are all true for the marketing strategy you’ve been running and you honestly aren’t getting very far with your business goals then yes, it may be time for a new marketing strategy. Either with a particular platform or the entire thing.

When you can’t keep up with the demands of your current strategy.

I have yet to meet a small business owner who didn’t at some point try and fail at a type of marketing because they couldn’t give it the time, skill or money it requires to work well. Listen, NO one marketing strategy is the magic formula. Choose what you can handle, friend!!!

When you are preparing for a product launch or big business push.

A new product, brand, service or big business change can all be good times to create a new marketing strategy. This may be a temporary push to get something launched well or a shift based on new business goals. Your former marketing data can help you determine how to plan a new strategy!

When the marketing data is clear about what’s working.

I can’t emphasize enough how important it is to keep track of basic marketing data. This is the critical insight you need to make good decisions about both your business and marketing. If you’re doing this well, the results over time will make it much easier to see what to keep doing, what to do more of and what to leave behind.

Did this help you? Let me know by leaving a comment!