December 1, 2025
If you feel like your marketing never really gets off the ground it might be because the basics are not being looked at properly. Lots of businesses put marketing on the back burner while they deal with everything else and then wonder why nothing changes. Too many businesses ignored marketing until its causing problems, so don't make that mistake. What you sell might be good but if you’re going into things with blind faith that people will find you and buy from you over your competitors then you’re going to fail. It doesn't matter what you do, there will always be competition and when you’re trying to compete against other businesses that are more established you have to go about it in the right way. Here’s a simple guide to help get the foundations right.
A good place to begin when you’re thinking about your marketing is checking whether people can understand what you actually offer within a few seconds, because if the message is unclear they will usually move on without giving it another thought. Take a proper look at your homepage and your main social profiles and read them as if you’ve never seen the business before, pay attention to things like whether the first lines explain the problem you solve and who you help in a straightforward way.
If someone has to scroll around or piece things together from different places then the message is already getting lost, although in most cases it might only need a simple rewrite to make it direct instead of vague. It can be so worth working with a marketing agency to help with something like this, there’s a good chance you have tunnel vision towards your business but they can be objective and tell you what steps to take to make your company’s marketing clearer.
The thing about marketing is that it’s not something you can guess at, if you get it wrong you could do some serious damage to your reputation and even get your site blocked on Google and search engines. To make things even more complicated the rules with marketing change all the time. In the past it was all about keyword stuffing, trying to get as many keywords into things as possible. These days that would be considered such bad practice as blogs and other text need to be written for a human reader not just a computer. Search engines would actively penalise you if you did it.
It can really help to focus on one thing at a time instead of trying to talk about everything your business offers in a single message. When you pack too much together it turns into background noise and people stop reading.For example if you run a cleaning service you could talk about end of tenancy cleans on one post instead of listing domestic, deep cleans and commercial work all at once. If you sell skincare you might focus on dry skin routines rather than every product you stock. Customers actually tend to connect better when you keep the message specific instead of trying to cover everything as you’re trying to target exactly what they want.
People often need to see something real before they’ll decide to choose your business, so check that you’re actually showing proof somewhere easy to find. A business portfolio showing your before and after photos if that fits your industry can be useful, as well as reviews. Get them all together in one place and start using them regularly, because real examples are always going to feel more believable than just throwing around broad statements about what you do, and people usually respond better when they can see something genuine.
This is where lots of businesses accidentally lose people. If it takes too many clicks to make an enquiry or the contact form feels like a chore most will give up and move on. Try going through your own process from the perspective of someone who’s never seen it before and pay attention to anything that slows you down or feels annoying. It might be as simple as moving a booking button higher up a page or simplifying a form, these little things can make a noticeable difference to how many people follow through with their purchase with you.
A great product is a fantastic start, but it can't sell itself. Your marketing might not be working because your message is unclear, you aren't showing proof of your results, or your competitors are simply doing a better job of being seen. Getting the basics right ensures people can find you and understand why they should choose you.
Pretend you are a new visitor to your own website or social media page. Can you understand what your business does and who it helps in just a few seconds? If not, rewrite your opening lines to be more direct and simple. Focus on the solution you provide, not just the features.
No, it's better to focus on one specific thing at a time. For example, instead of listing all your cleaning services, create a post just about 'end of tenancy cleans'. This targeted approach helps you connect directly with customers looking for that specific solution and prevents your message from becoming noise.
They are extremely important. Reviews, testimonials, and before-and-after photos act as social proof, showing potential customers that you deliver on your promises. Displaying real results is far more persuasive than making general claims about your business.
The problem might be your customer journey. If it takes too many clicks to buy something or your contact form is too long, people will give up. Go through the purchase process yourself to identify and fix anything that feels complicated or annoying.
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