There’s a lot of misunderstanding around marketing. But with a bit of education, you can protect yourself from the traps that could hold you back from getting the best from your marketing.

1) Marketing is for big companies with big budgets

Thirty years ago, marketing campaigns meant expensive ads in the paper and maybe on radio and TV.

Today, unless your audience is above 70, your audience is probably online, in some way or other. That opens some very affordable options, thanks to the plethora of website builders and other SaaS (software as a service) tools.

In many cases, you can begin with a basic free plan and work your way up as your budget increases.

2) I can sell to everyone

Let’s say you’ve created a new ice cream. To attract everyone, you would need to create replicas that are gluten-free, sugar-free and dairy-free. Not a very practical idea when you’re starting out.

A much easier solution is to identify one ideal market to work with. Once you’ve find your ideal customer, learn everything about them and build a product geared to their needs.

3) Marketing = getting people to buy your products/use your services. That’s it

It does start with good advertising. But that’s only the beginning. Once your customer has used your services, you need to ensure that they’ll be back for more.

That’s when it helps to keep the relationship going. Letting the clients know that you haven’t forgotten them pays dividends later.

4) Marketing should deliver instant results

Like anything good, marketing doesn’t produce overnight results. It will take time for your social media, SEO, or content marketing strategy to start making a difference. But with perseverance, patience and hard work, you will see change.

5) You’ve got to try every marketing channel

Here, the key is to learn which channels your clients use. If your customers are young adults in their late teens/early twenties, newspaper ads alone won’t get you very far. But if your audience is over 60, ads in print might be the best way of reaching them.

Correcting these mistakes is only the beginning. But it’ll help you get off to a good start on your marketing journey.

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