Marketing is one of the hardest nuts to crack in a business ecosystem that can only get more competitive, more so for small marketing teams with limited resources. However, with the right attitude and approach, these difficulties are just minor roadblocks on your way to marketing excellence. Read on to learn more about the struggles that come with working as a small marketing team and how you can tackle them head-on.
Budget Limitations
Budget is the biggest and most common challenge for smaller teams. Budget issues can arise due to several reasons. The company’s financial situation may dictate that marketing is a lower priority than other departments like sales or product development. Maybe the marketing team is further down in the pecking order or may not be functioning with dedicated marketing resources. Regardless of the reason, the fact remains that the funds available for marketing are comparatively less. Smaller marketing budgets mean you must find smarter ways to spend your money. Marketers can start with targeting areas and using those avenues to create the maximum impact.
Smaller Teams, Smaller Outputs
Smaller teams probably have a lesser hands-on deck to carry out the tasks required. However, this doesn’t mean the output will be imminently smaller or of lesser value. You can still produce amazing results with a smaller team if everyone is on the same page and focused on the same goal. If you still feel that your approach seems far-reaching, a digital marketing agency like MinoriLabs could give you twice the bandwidth with a small incremental cost.
Getting The Priorities Right
As we just discussed, a smaller marketing team means less time to do everything. So, you must set the priorities correctly. Choose the tasks that are most important and relevant to your marketing strategy. Some of the questions you can ask yourself include: what is the goal of your marketing campaign? What is the message you want to convey? How does your campaign relate to your business model and target audience? When setting priorities, consider everything from the type of content you produce to the tools you use, down to the frequency at which you post.
Also Read: 5 Ways To Make Small Marketing Teams Perform Like Champions
Lack Of Proper Content Focus
With a small marketing team, it is quite natural to leave content creation out of the radar, given the immensity of the task. In your limited schedule, you may find yourself struggling to write blog posts, create videos, promote yourself on social media, or create lead-converting campaigns or other promotions – all of which require finesse and consume a lot of time. You may overcome this by prioritizing your content efforts or outsourcing the same to spaces that can help meet your content objectives. This helps in not only receiving the required engagement or reach through content but enables you to focus better on other tasks that your team can handle quite well.
Targeting The Right Audience
Another struggle that occurs among small marketing teams is targeting the right audience. Your team may be too small to hire a specialist, or you might not have enough time to do audience research. In this case, your campaign may be going after the wrong audience. Or you may be targeting the right audience, but your message isn’t resonating with them. Either way, you’ll have to shift your focus and adapt your marketing strategy accordingly. You may have to change your target audience or the message you are putting out there. Or you can also change your approach to marketing by trying a new marketing tool. Don’t be afraid to experiment with different methods and tools. This is a great way to target the right audience and meet your marketing goals.
Ignorance Of Marketing Demands
If you work in a small marketing team, you will be caught up with a flurry of tasks and unknowingly ignore the demands of your audience. In this situation, it is pertinent to be open-minded and find ways to understand the pulse of the target market. Change is the only constant in any market, and it’s pivotal to have a keen eye.
Undefined Marketing Strategy
Whether you work in a small team or a large company, it’s essential to be aligned with a unique strategy that can help meet any of your business goals. You may begin by taking advantage of the resources and information you have.
Businesses Need A Reality Check
From time to time, it is important to keep tabs on your performance and that of the competitors. You need to understand the trajectory – areas where you excel and the places you might be struggling with. This way, you can strengthen areas where you are already good at and understand ways you can do better. Importantly, it helps eliminate mistakes that could prove costly. This is a very important way forward if you want to retain the competitive edge
It Is Better To Work With Short-Term Goals
It’s very easy to get overwhelmed, especially in the beginning. You may find yourself helping with everything and tackling every challenge head-on. This happens because we all like to take greater strides forward and ensure success amidst burgeoning competition.
But marketing requires a series of small efforts before the bigger picture dawns. Break down your goals into smaller, achievable ones. Focus on achieving short-term goals, such as getting a certain amount of traffic to your website or getting a specific number of leads per week. These short-term goals will help you stay focused and avoid getting overwhelmed. They will also help you establish a habit of success, charting the path for the bigger things you aim for.
Sometimes, Patience Is The Name Of The Game
Not all results are immediate. While you may do well to make a strategic shift in a few marketing funnels, it is frustrating when you follow every rule in the book but don’t see any proportionate results. But irrespective of the budgets you put in or the measures you take, it takes time to get the desired results. As we saw above, marketing is a series of steps that can pave the way to the bigger picture.
