How to Fail at Marketing

Marketing more won’t save you. Marketing smarter will.

If your marketing isn’t delivering results, your first instinct might be to do more: more ads, more social media posts, more promotions. But what if the problem isn’t that you’re doing too little… it’s that you’re doing too much of the wrong things?

Effective marketing should attract best-fit customers. They’re the ones you love to work with. The clients who convert quickly and stay longer, eventually becoming raving fans for your business.

If your marketing is falling flat, be on the lookout for three mistakes small businesses often make.

Mistake #1: Copying Someone Else’s Strategy

“Define the game you are playing, and make sure your actions are not being influenced by people playing a different game.” – Morgan Housel

You see our competitor running Facebook ads, so you do the same. They’re on TikTok? You jump in, too. Or maybe there’s a marketing agency offering a sweet deal to recycle the same playbook they’re already used for loads of others in your industry.

But months later, results are flat. Why? Because copying someone else’s marketing is a fast track to blending in, not standing out.

Instead, look at your positioning. What problem are you really solving, and how do you want to be perceived? Start by asking:

What are you great at delivering, that a defined market segment cares a lot about?
What makes you meaningfully different from competitors?
Who isn’t a good fit to work with you?

You don’t need to be everything to everyone; the most successful small businesses carve out a clear, valuable position that they can own. You can’t charge a premium for a copycat product or service.

Mistake #2: Selling the Discount

“Don’t compete on price. Compete on value.” – Jeffrey Gitomer

Many businesses default to marketing their low prices or running constant promotions. While discounts can attract attention, they also create two major problems:

You train customers to wait for sales instead of buying at full price.
You erode your margins, making it harder to invest in better marketing, service, and growth.

A better approach is to get clear on your value and charge a premium. Instead of racing to the bottom, focus on:

Why your product or service is worth more than the cheaper alternatives.
What experience or transformation you deliver beyond just the product itself.
Who values quality over price, because those are the customers you want.

Mistake #3: When in Doubt, Shout Louder

“Like speaking Japanese slowly and loudly to a person who speaks only English, putting a bigger marketing budget behind confusing and unclear positioning doesn’t work.” – April Dunford

If your marketing isn’t working, doubling down on noise (more posts, more ads, more emails) won’t fix the problem. Amplifying your message won’t change the results you’re getting.

The alternative is to prioritize getting your message right. Ask yourself:

Are you speaking directly to your best-fit customer’s real problems and desires?
Are you communicating in a way that feels clear, compelling, and different?
Are you making it easy for people to take action (without overwhelming them)?

Great marketing isn’t about being the loudest—it’s about being the most relevant.

This Week’s Takeaway

More marketing isn’t always better.

Want better results from the marketing you’re already doing? Take a look at your messaging. Do any of the mistakes above sound familiar? Leave a comment and let me know where you’ve struggled or succeeded the most!

Building a StoryBrand: By Donald Miller

If you’re looking for a way to make your brand message clearer and connect better with customers, Building a StoryBrand is a really helpful read. It breaks down how to use storytelling to make your marketing more engaging and easy to understand. The book lays out simple, practical ways to refine your website, social media, and other materials so people quickly get what you do and why it matters to them.

Check it out!