Why Do Small Businesses Hate Marketing?

Most small business owners hate marketing. Is this 100% accurate? Absolutely not. I have developed this opinion working for 15 years in sales and marketing at companies of all sizes. And I get why small business owners feel this way. 99% of the small business owners who hate marketing are frustrated by the perceived lack of a clear return on investment (again, this is my opinion, but it’s also true).

So what do they do? They begrudgingly engage in a half-hearted effort or abandon it altogether and double down on their sales efforts. So why do they feel this way? There are two major reasons.

1. A lack of realistic expectations
2. A lack of communication

However, it’s important to clarify: just because a small business doesn’t utilize marketing doesn’t necessarily spell failure. It typically means they may encounter a growth ceiling or struggle to surpass a certain point where word-of-mouth referrals reach their limitations.

A Lack of Realistic Expectation

Let’s address a major point upfront: marketing has no magic bullet. If you happen to find one, it’s a rare exception. Marketing is more like compound interest—it accumulates over time. Being patient is critical, as consistent effort often leads to eventual rewards. There’s a tipping point where the consistency of your efforts starts to pay off, though this point varies for everyone.

What do I mean by that? Despite what some may believe from following their favorite LinkedIn creators, establishing a significant following, building a mailing list, or generating consistent website traffic typically requires several months before one begins to see a return on the time they’ve invested. Are there individuals or businesses who experience a sudden viral post and manage to leverage that exposure effectively? Certainly. Is this a common occurrence? Absolutely not.

Here’s a real-life example of how we helped one of our clients grow their LinkedIn profile to boost their consulting business. They started posting every day on LinkedIn in the spring of 2023. But it wasn’t until around mid-summer that they saw more people following them and engaging with their posts. They got about 6,000 more followers over the course of 4 to 6 months and, more importantly, started driving leads and revenue into their business because of it. This success shows how important it is to be patient, have realistic expectations, and keep showing up regularly on social media.

During this time, they didn’t focus on promoting their business directly. Instead, they shared helpful content to educate their audience and establish themselves as experts in their field. They understood that putting in this effort for a few months could pay off big-time and significantly grow their business in the future.

So what is the solution? As a small business owner, you need to own the goal-setting process and work collaboratively with your marketing team, whether in-house or outsourced. You don’t have to handle all the “dirty work,” but you must be closely involved in the process. That means 

1. Agreeing on a plan, metrics, budget, etc. 
2. Measuring your progress along the way
3. Monitoring what works and adapting as necessary.
4. BEING PATIENT

If you outsource your marketing to a company, you, as the owner, are responsible for ensuring the company you hired follows these four steps. More importantly, you must meet with them every 1-2 weeks and work as a team towards these agreed-upon goals. 

Here are three critical mistakes to avoid, and no, I won’t lecture you about S.M.A.R.T. goals, even though they are effective.

1. Don’t pick goals you know you can’t hit to “motivate” your team
2. Don’t blindly follow your marketing team’s directives out of obligation. Take the time to understand your company’s strategies so you can challenge them if necessary.
3. Don’t label everything a failure just because it didn’t succeed in the first month. Sometimes, it’s a bad idea, and sometimes, it needs more time. Both outcomes are acceptable, and you can usually discern which is the case.

A Lack of Communication

Good communication is vital in all kinds of relationships, like those with family, friends, partners, and kids, and especially between a small business owner and their marketing team. When there’s a lack of communication, the small business owner can get frustrated and might even start feeling resentful toward the marketing team. Trust me, I’ve seen it happen.

Now, here is the big thing we all need to accept. It’s probably both party’s fault. I’ve witnessed marketing companies take advantage of small businesses and charge them tens of thousands of dollars for unclear plans and poor communication. I’ve also seen small business owners ignore valuable advice from marketing companies because it’s not what they want to hear or, worse, neglect to make time for the marketing team, only to later complain about being left in the dark. Don’t let either of these things happen to you.

So what is the solution? Well now that we are all admitting that we have room for improvement how can we avoid this problem moving forward. 

Own the Conversation. If you want to have good communication with marketing then you need to make it happen. Which means you need to drive the conversation and make sure all parties have time to speak and to be heard. You might resist this idea, thinking that “marketing should lead the conversation.” But here’s the truth: it’s your business, you’re the owner, and if you want it to succeed, you need to take control of this aspect of the relationship, at least in the beginning. Ensure that there’s an agenda for every meeting, and conclude the conversation with clearly defined next steps.

You need to listen. I’m not here to preach about being a good partner and listening. What I’m saying is, if you ignore your team, your plan will flop, and the blame will be on you. You hired these people for a reason, so you’ve got to pay attention to what they’re saying—even if it’s not what you want to hear at the moment. Like when they tell you, “Hey, the metrics are improving, but we’re not generating meaningful leads yet.” Sure, they might be wrong. But what if they’re right? Flying into a blind rage could lead to irrational decisions that cost you future leads. Listening and patience are intertwined, and mastering both is key to fostering a successful relationship with your team.

In the end, marketing success relies on teamwork, where both parties work together to establish achievable objectives, keep communication channels open, and adjust strategies when faced with obstacles. Small business owners can overcome their reluctance towards marketing by focusing on these essential elements and fully capitalize on their business growth strategies. 
Do you want to get better at marketing your small business?

Blue Rose Marketing assists small businesses in implementing self-sustaining marketing systems that leverage in-house teams and outsourced resources. To kickstart your business growth through marketing, click here to schedule a 15-minute call to discover a tailored solution that meets your needs.