What's the First Thing I Should Fix in My Marketing?

"What's the first thing I should fix in my marketing?"

I get some version of this question all the time.

• Should we redo our website?
• Should we run Facebook ads?
• Do we need to post more?
• Should we be sending emails?
• Do we need better SEO?

And my answer probably isn't very satisfying.

I don't know.

At least not yet.

If someone can tell you exactly what your business needs after a five-minute conversation, I'd be a little careful.

Because before I tell you what to fix, I need to understand what's actually going on.

Marketing Problems Aren't Always Marketing Problems

A business owner might come to us and say, "We need more leads."

Maybe.

But what if you're already getting plenty of leads and nobody is following up with them?

Or maybe you think you need a new website because yours isn't generating business. But the real problem is that hardly anyone is getting to the website in the first place.

Maybe you're spending thousands of dollars every month on advertising and getting traffic, but when someone lands on your website, they can't figure out what you do or what they're supposed to do next.

Or maybe the marketing is working just fine, but you don't have a way to track where your customers are coming from, so it feels like it isn't.

Those are very different problems.

And they require very different solutions.

That's why we ask so many questions.

Before We Talk Marketing, We Talk Business

When we sit down with a business owner, I want to understand the business before we start throwing out marketing ideas.

• What are you trying to grow?
• Who are your best customers?
• Where are your leads coming from today?
• What happens when someone calls or fills out a form?
• How quickly does your team follow up?
• What percentage of those leads turn into customers?
• Which products or services are most profitable?
• Where do you feel stuck?

Sometimes the answers point us toward marketing.

Sometimes they point us toward sales.

Sometimes they point us toward systems and processes that need to be fixed before spending another dollar trying to generate more attention.

That's an important distinction.

Because our goal isn't to get you to do more marketing.

Our goal is to help your business grow.

More Marketing Isn't Always the Answer

I think this is where a lot of businesses get frustrated.

Something isn't working, so the natural response is to do more.

• Post more.
• Spend more on ads.
• Try another platform.
• Build another landing page.
• Send another email.

But doing more of the wrong thing doesn't solve the problem.

Before you add another tactic, you need to know what problem you're actually trying to solve.

If you don't have enough people finding your business, that's one problem.

If plenty of people are finding you but they aren't taking the next step, that's another.

If leads are coming in but aren't turning into customers, that's another.

If you're getting customers but they never hear from you again, that's another.

The first thing you should fix is the thing that's actually keeping your business from getting where you want it to go.

Start With the Right Questions

Before you decide what to fix, figure out what problem you're actually trying to solve.

This is a big reason we start our relationships at Trellis with strategy.

We could probably sell more websites if every conversation started with, "You need a new website."

We could sell more ads if every answer was, "You need to spend more on Facebook and Google."

But that wouldn't always be the right answer.

Sometimes we'll tell a business owner they need something completely different from what they thought they needed when they first walked through the door.

That's okay.

I'd rather tell you what I believe will actually help than sell you something because it's easy for us to sell.

That's how we want to do business.

So, What Should You Fix First?

Start by getting clear on where you are.

• Look at the numbers.
• Look at where your leads are coming from.
• Look at what happens to those leads.
• Look at your website.
• Look at your follow-up.
• Talk to your sales team.
• Ask your customers how they found you.

Then figure out where the biggest gap is between where your business is today and where you're trying to go.

Fix that first.

And if you don't know what that is, that's a pretty good place to start the conversation.

At Trellis, we don't believe you need more random marketing tactics.

You need a plan that makes sense for your business.

And we're always happy to sit down, ask a lot of questions, and help you figure out what that plan should look like.

Not sure what to fix first? Let's figure it out together.