Do-It-Yourself Marketing for Small Companies is Risky Business

If what I’ve said so far is not convincing enough, here are five reasons why do-it-yourself marketing can actually hurt your business.

1. You don’t know what you don’t know. Reading a couple of books or attending a one-day conference does not compare to working with a qualified team or a consultant with significant experience. Without intending it, you might create a tagline that sends the wrong message or you might produce a video that is so unprofessional that it works against you.
2. Business owners can’t be objective. You may think your complete absorption in your business is an advantage to marketing it but a degree of objectivity is important to think about customer problems and aspirations versus pushing the features of your business.
3. The best marketing is not about a system or formula. There are numerous companies, tools and gurus online with exorbitant claims. But every business is different and a cookie-cutter approach is not the best way to market.
4. Great marketing requires talent. As Kriti has noted, marketing is science combined with art. Successful professionals are rare but they understand both to effectively communicate messages and persuade.
5. Do-it-yourself doesn’t really save money. It’s not what you spend but your return on investment that counts. Solid marketing delivers far more than the committed budget. Plus, you should consider what your time is worth and the opportunity cost of what you are not doing all those hours while you are dabbling in marketing (e.g., overseeing service delivery, selling new accounts, raising capital, etc.).

“Business success is all about finding the right outside service providers and using them wisely. You can’t do it all yourself,” says Anita Campbell, Founder of Small Business Trends.