Post three times a week instead of two. Add the exact right hashtags to a post. Change your call-to-action button to a more prominent color.

These types of recommendations flood the marketing industry. And they send business owners and marketing managers down the rabbit hole, chasing each and every one of them.

It’s not that these best practices are wrong or not useful. It’s that they’re focused on how big brands achieve incremental improvements.

But if what you’re doing isn’t working very well, there’s not much to incrementally improve.

What you need is an exponential increase — and that means getting the fundamentals in place:

• What exactly do you do?
• Who do you serve?
• How do you reach your specific audience?
• What are their problems — and how do you solve them?
• Are you actually meeting their needs?
• How can you make your message clear and simple?
• Why should they pick you over competitors?
• How can you nurture your relationship with your target audience?
• How can you make it easier for them to buy your services or products?
• How can you encourage referrals or repeat business? (Because ultimately, that’s where you’ll find the most success!)

Do I Really Need to Go Back and Answer These Basic Questions?

Yes! Adjustments that address these bigger questions are more likely to have an exponential impact on your marketing success. 

Here’s a quick example from a client. They were getting interest in their services at an in-person event… but it wasn’t leading to sales. People seemed on board, but then didn’t follow-up with a call or an email.

So we explored this question together:

How can you make it easier for them to buy your services?

We realized that they were letting potential clients walk away without even asking them to sign up for services or getting their contact info. They left reaching out afterwards to the prospect.

So they changed their approach for their next event.

They had available a list of services and pricing; their policies and procedures; and most importantly, a way to get booked right there at the event.

When they did that? They converted every single person who had a demo of their services at the event.

So don’t stress about the “best practices” — focus on the fundamentals first. It’ll get you further, faster.