The 7 most common marketing mistakes local businesses make

Most wasted marketing money goes on the same handful of mistakes. Spot them here and you'll save more than most agencies could ever make you.

After looking at hundreds of local businesses, the same mistakes show up again and again. The good news: they're all avoidable, and fixing them costs little. Here are the seven that quietly cost owners the most customers and money.

The seven mistakes

• Chasing followers instead of customers, posting for applause that never books
• An unclaimed or half-empty Google profile, the single biggest free win ignored
• No system for reviews, leaving the cheapest trust-builder to chance
• A slow website that loses half its mobile visitors before it loads
• Hiding the phone number, making it hard to do the one thing you want
• Inconsistent name and address across the web, confusing Google and customers
• Going quiet for months, then panicking with a big push that fizzles

Why these happen

None of these come from laziness. They come from being busy with real work and treating marketing as a thing you'll get to eventually. "Eventually" never arrives, the gaps compound, and a competitor who fixed the basics quietly pulls ahead.

Fix the cheap ones first

You don't have to fix all seven at once. The Google profile and a review habit are nearly free and move the needle most. Start there, and you'll likely see more contacts within a month or two, before you spend a cent on anything fancy.

The shortcut

Or skip the slow self-fixing: we close all seven gaps and keep them closed for local businesses, at one flat monthly price. Want to know which of the seven are costing you right now? Grab a free audit and we'll show you, no obligation.