Looking back on the past year, I’ve realised that not everything is as it first seems. As a small business owner, the demands are exceptional, you wear many hats, make quick decisions, and sometimes rely on gut instinct. And in the first part of 2024, I got that completely wrong. Spoiler alert! I also managed to turn it around.
The Office Disaster That Cost Me Big
To galvanise my growing team, I took on a new office, hoping it would create and foster better collaboration. Unfortunately, the environment turned out to be more toxic than the goo under Batman when the Joker is cackling his head off!
Lesson learned: Never rent an office from someone who’s never run one before! Lack of stable Wi-Fi alone cost me a fortune, crippling for a marketing company, and don't get me started on my noisy unsociable neighbours!
The Challenges of Scaling a Business
Scaling a business is fraught with many hidden traps and the biggest of those I found were people, as they represent the most complex part of my business and with the right team you really can achieve anything, I have proved this many times to myself in the past whether it was when I looked after a dozen people for one of the largest publishers in the UK making £100k per week, through to running a team of volunteers in my local dance business, there is always one key ingredient for greatness, the people.
Are We Facing a Generational Shift in Work Ethics?
When it comes to team management, I find myself asking, "What went wrong?" Was I perhaps too optimistic in my expectations, or have shifting generational dynamics led to different approaches to work and responsibility? My experience has shown me that trust is expensive, and poor hiring decisions can destroy productivity. A strong, loyal team is critical to your business’s survival.
Navigating a Chaotic Economic and Political Climate
Given the current economic climate, anything can happen, especially with ongoing conflicts around the world, questionable decisions about our future leaders, and a growing mistrust in the media, which has left many feeling confused and uncertain. The economic uncertainty means businesses need to be more strategic than ever.
The Truth About Social Media Marketing Gurus
If someone claims they can skyrocket your business overnight, be sceptical. While I strongly support ethically planned social media campaigns, it's unfortunate that much of what we're exposed to is biased, misleading, or simply not true. For example, many marketing solutions are presented by individuals who are still early in their careers, eager to promote the latest trends with promises of quick results, eagerly clap their hands and announce ‘Now you need to see this’! Seriously? While you may know good business theory, a surgeon never fixed anyone’s faulty heart by just reading a textbook. True expertise comes with years of experience.
Can AI Really Replace Human Creativity?
The promise of FREE websites offered by AI seems ridiculous to me. AI still cannot draw hands properly and if you ask it to draw a watch it will mostly always show a clock face showing the time at ten to two. Why? Because as humans we decided this was the most attractive way to show off a timepiece and AI has no scooby on what to go on otherwise, so how can it design your website, understand the complexities of a marketing campaign let alone sell your products and services like you want them too, even Elon Musk can't get this right and get his cars to drive in a straight line sometimes, let alone have a robot in your house!
What Business Owners Need to Know About SEO and Marketing
So, running a marketing company I am faced with these and other questions from business owners small and large alike, how does Google's algorithm affect my business? How can I make more leads? What is the best approach to social media?
The answer is pretty simple, talk to an agency that has experienced people on the ranks who are passionate about what they do, when you speak to them are they pushing an extra sales narrative and bamboozling you with clever marketing words, if so chances are you’ve been hit by a LocalIQ rep eager to please the corporate system that hasn’t quite figured out that as soon as they have a dry month, they will be replaced and that the true value of the marketing they are selling never reaches the client.
Ask questions to your chosen agency, what is their expertise? Where have they had successes and also what are the qualifications of the team? The amount of clients we see that have been oversold the SEO ideal is numerous and none of them understood exactly the longevity needed and investment needed, you can’t cheat the system but many still try, just look at Fiver and you’ll see thousands of backlinks being sold for pennies, little do you know, they have already been thrown in the bin by Google and you might as well burn your cash to keep you warm.
Does the agency have good testimonials? If so, have you been encouraged to speak to some of the clients that have worked with the agency? In this world, you may be too busy to conduct your due diligence, but a few minutes spent picking up the phone, could save you thousands in lost marketing revenues.
I’m sorry to say there is no quick win, no silver bullet and no crystal ball to marketing, but we can advise on your risk in any given area, where you sit in your chosen market, without the need to say, we can generate you X number of guaranteed leads, because nobody can.
Here at Phoenix Marketing, we aim to be a part of your company and to get you above your closest competitor, one step at a time, with small amounts of measured incremental growth.
How My Business Levelled Up This Year
After months of reflection, planning, learning from my mistakes and seeking guidance from other business owners far more experienced than myself, I now feel my company just took a gear change. I’ve built a team of talented marketing professionals who have worked across many industry sectors, understand business mechanics, don’t have to hit a target and just sell for selling’s sake, and we have grown one client at a time to a size that I only ever dreamed of attaining almost five years ago through reputation and hard graft.
Building a Business on Loyalty and Trust
So, you won’t see me flaunting marketing strategies on Instagram, pretending I know everything, driving a big wanky muscle car or find my numberplates have been doctored to avoid traffic cameras, because I really don’t care for those things, I need a team behind me of which I am super proud of and Phoenix Marketing is built on loyalty and trust, not words, but demonstrable actions by a team that cares and in my eyes is inspirational and delivers results to the clients it serves.
Comments