3 Biggest Communication Mistakes Small Businesses Make

Running a small business is hard enough without making communication blunders that can torpedo your entire operation. Here are the three biggest communication mistakes small businesses make and how to avoid them.

1. Not communicating frequently or consistently enough

The biggest communication mistake small businesses make is not communicating frequently or consistently enough Internally with their team and externally with their clients & prospects. Not communicating enough with your team can lead to a breakdown in communication between the business and its employees, eventually leading to the business losing customers and revenue.

To avoid this communication mistake, small businesses should have a communication plan in place that outlines how often and how consistently they will communicate with their employees. This communication plan should be reviewed and updated regularly to ensure that it is still relevant and effective.

Additionally, small businesses should encourage open communication among employees by creating an environment where questions can be asked, and concerns can be voiced without fear of retribution. Encouraging open communication will help ensure that all employees are on the same page.

This is a similar issue when talking about the challenges of not communicating enough with the public. This can lead to a loss of customers and, ultimately, revenue.

If you don't communicate enough with your clients or prospects, you are likely to lose them to a competitor.

Most small businesses that have a communication problem have a marketing problem.

They don't let their target market know about their products or services.

Or, if they do, the communication is so infrequent that the target market forgets about them and goes to a competitor.

2. Failing to establish a communication plan

Another communication mistake small businesses make is failing to establish a communication plan. A communication plan outlines what communication channels will be used, how often communication will occur, and who is responsible for each type of communication.

Without a communication plan in place, it can be difficult for small businesses to ensure that all employees are on the same page and that the message of their product or service is getting out into the world.

Creating a communication plan can be as simple as sitting down with a piece of paper and brainstorming all of the different ways you can communicate with your target market. Once you have a list of communication channels, you can then start to map out how often communication will take place on each channel and who will be responsible for creating and sending the communication.

3. Communicating the wrong message or information

Small businesses' final communication mistake is communicating the wrong message or information. This can happen for various reasons, but it is often due to a lack of understanding of who the target market is and what they are looking for.

When creating communication, small businesses should always keep their target market in mind and ensure that the message they are sending is relevant to that market. Additionally, small businesses should make sure that the information they are sharing is accurate and up-to-date.

Failing to do either of these things can result in the small business losing customers and revenue.

To avoid these communication mistakes, small businesses need to establish a plan and communicate with frequency and consistency. It's also important to ensure that your messages are clear and accurate. If you need help putting together a communication plan or have questions about the best way to communicate with your audience, let us know. We're happy to help!