You’re struggling to improve your marketing skills as an entrepreneur. What’s the best way to start?

As entrepreneurs, we're always on the quest to sharpen our swords, especially when it comes to marketing. This is one where you need to identify knowledge gaps and do it quickly. I'll keep it simple: 1. Create a checklist of marketing functions ( content creation, paid media, analytics, SEO, SEM, organic social, creative, etc.. ) 2. Rate your proficiency - keep it simple scale 1-5 3. Reflect on past campaigns. 4. Get feedback from peers - LinkedIn is a great place to find and connect with others in the space. Feel free to connect.

Sometimes people confuse marketing and sales. Rather than measuring your marketing by the sales it generates immediately, focus on building a brand. Consistent colors, fonts, writing style and voice in all things form the color of your walls to the font on your business card. Know what problem your product solves and then look for examples in real life that illustrate your position. If you sell warm fuzzy socks, tell the story about why your socks are better for people with bad arches, how your elastic is designed for circulation problems, and your wool is harvested from the happiest sheep to ever grace the Earth. People don't buy socks because they want socks. They buy socks to have warm, comfortable feet.

Assess Your Current Skills and Goals: Identify strengths and weaknesses: Start by taking stock of your current marketing knowledge. What are you already good at? (e.g., social media, content creation) What areas do you need to develop further? (e.g., email marketing, SEO) Define your marketing goals: What do you want to achieve with your marketing efforts? Brand awareness, increased sales, lead generation? Knowing your goals will guide your learning journey.

first as an entrepreneur you have to create awareness either by advertisement or telling people what service you offer . You also need to make offers to people, what does this mean lets take for instance you walk into an establishment or organization, you ask for the person in charge and introduce your service to him or her then you present an offer to him imagine telling him sir of every sales i make in your organization you get a certain percentage now tell me why he would not be interested to tell your service to his staffs when something will enter his pocket of every sale you make .... thank you

Se estou lutando para melhorar minhas habilidades de marketing como empreendedor, a melhor abordagem seria come?ar definindo objetivos claros e identificando áreas de melhoria específicas. Em seguida, eu investiria em aprendizado através de cursos e workshops, acompanharia as tendências do mercado e experimentaria diferentes estratégias na prática. Solicitar feedback regularmente e ser persistente e paciente também s?o fundamentais nesse processo. Assim, posso iniciar minha jornada de aprimoramento no marketing como empreendedor e alcan?ar melhores resultados para o meu negócio.

Focusing on mastering one key skill as an entrepreneur, especially in areas you can't delegate due to cash or resource constraints, is vital. It fills gaps cost-effectively, boosts your business directly, and prepares you to manage the future more effectively. Take paid media—gaining expertise here can significantly impact visibility and sales for a business. This approach also fosters a culture of continuous learning within your team. In short, honing a critical skill not only addresses immediate challenges but sets a foundation for sustainable growth, making it a strategic investment in both your business and personal development.

Don't try to do everything at once: Focus on one or two marketing areas to improve initially. You can always expand your skillset later. Consider your audience and industry: Tailor your learning to your target audience and industry trends. What marketing strategies work best for your niche?

Starting with a focused approach is key to improving marketing skills effectively. Choose one skill that aligns with your business goals, such as copywriting, content creation, social media marketing or SEO optimization. For me, I focused on social media marketing specifically on Instagram and Facebook. This is where I set a SMART goal related to that skill, like increasing conversions, followers, engagement (likes, comments, views) or traffic to the website. This targeted approach allows for deeper learning and measurable progress, making it easier to track your improvement and apply new knowledge to benefit your business.

Courses, books, newsletters, algorithms, and AI: Courses: Facebook blueprint, Skillshop by Google for Google ads certifications, and LinkedIn learning Books: Begin with "This is Marketing" by Seth Godin for foundational insights. Newsletters: Subscribe to Demand Curve, DTC Newsletter, and more for up-to-date trends and strategies. Algorithms: Customize your learning. Set up dedicated Instagram and X(twitter) accounts to follow marketing content. On LinkedIn, connect with niche experts or agency owners for creative strategies and the latest insights. AI Tools: Utilize ChatGPT with specific queries to get marketing advice or a resource recommendation.

Free online resources: There are countless free online resources available, like blog posts, webinars, and ebooks. Paid courses: Consider investing in online courses or certifications from reputable platforms like Udemy, Coursera, or platforms specific to marketing like Hubspot Academy. Books and podcasts: Dive deeper into specific marketing topics with relevant books and marketing-focused podcasts. Experiment and practice: Don't just learn, implement! Try out what you learn on your own marketing channels and see what works for your audience. Track your results and adjust your approach accordingly.

Be patient and persistent: Developing marketing expertise takes time and dedication. Don't get discouraged if you don't see results overnight. Keep learning, experimenting, and refining your strategies.

Focus on providing value: At the core of good marketing lies value creation. Your marketing efforts should genuinely benefit your target audience, not just push a product or service. Track and analyze results: Data is your friend! Use analytics tools to track the performance of your marketing campaigns and make data-driven decisions.

Stay Updated and Network: Marketing trends evolve quickly: Stay updated on the latest marketing trends and strategies by following marketing blogs, and industry publications, and attending relevant webinars or conferences. Connect with other entrepreneurs: Surround yourself with other marketing-savvy entrepreneurs. Networking allows you to learn from their experiences and share your challenges.