New Year Marketing Mistakes Small Businesses Keep Making
- Erikka Shockley
- Dec 30, 2025
- 3 min read
(what actually works ... from someone who does this for a living)
Alright.
Deep breath.
Let’s talk about January marketing without the trends, the guilt, or the recycled advice that’s been floating around Facebook since 2016.
Every January, I watch small businesses do the same thing...
They come in hot, overhaul everything, try to do all the things, and then quietly decide marketing “doesn’t work” by mid-February.
It’s not that marketing doesn’t work.
It’s that most people are doing it in the most exhausting, ineffective way possible.
Here’s what I see over and over ... and what actually makes a difference.
Mistake No.1 → Treating January Like a Total Identity Crisis
New year hits and suddenly everyone thinks they need...
A new logo
A new brand voice
A new niche
A new personality
Nine times out of ten, this isn’t growth ... it’s avoidance.
Avoidance of tightening messaging.
Avoidance of selling clearly.
Avoidance of fixing what’s already broken.
What actually works:
Keep the brand. Fix the clarity.
If someone landed on your page today, could they immediately answer:
What do you do?
Who is this for?
How do I hire you?
If the answer isn’t obvious, that’s the problem ... not your colors or fonts.
Mistake No.2 → Posting Just to Feel Productive
Posting every day doesn’t mean you’re marketing well.
Random quotes, random reels, random “Happy Monday!” posts with zero direction don’t build momentum ... they just keep you busy.
Busy ≠ effective.
What actually works...
Every post needs a purpose. Period.
It should do at least one of these:
Explain what you do
Build trust
Answer a common question
Show results
Lead someone toward hiring you
If a post doesn’t serve a role, it’s filler ... and filler burns you out fast.
Mistake No. 3 → Trying to Be Everywhere Because You’re Panicking
Instagram. Facebook. TikTok. Pinterest. Email. Blog. Threads. YouTube.
All at once. With no team. And no systems.
That’s not ambition ... that’s fucking chaos.
What actually works...
Pick one main platform and one secondary platform.
That’s it.
Build consistency there before expanding.
You don’t need to be everywhere ... you need to be memorable somewhere.
Depth beats volume every single time.
Mistake No. 4 → Copying Bigger Businesses Instead of Acting Like a Small One
This one is sneaky.
You see polished brands with teams, ad budgets, and years of momentum ... and you try to copy their content style.
But here’s the truth...
People don’t hire small businesses because they look corporate.
They hire them because they feel human.
What actually works:
Talk like a real person
Share your experience
Be clear, not clever
Show your face and your process
Your personality is the differentiator. Stop sanding it down.
Mistake No. 5 → Being Awkward About Selling
If you’re whispering about your services once a month and hoping people “just know” how to hire you ... that’s not marketing.
That’s hoping.
And adding “sorry for the sales post” energy? Immediate no.
What actually works:
Sell confidently and consistently.
That means:
Saying who your service is for
Saying who it’s not for
Explaining the outcome
Repeating yourself more than you think you need to
People don’t get annoyed by selling ... they get confused by vague offers.
Mistake No. 6 → Ignoring the Back End
This is where so many businesses lose money without realizing it.
You’re posting… but:
Your website is unclear
Your contact form is clunky
Your CTA is “let me know”
There’s no obvious next step
So people look… and leave.
What actually works:
Before you post more, make sure:
Your homepage clearly states what you do
Your services are easy to understand
Your contact process is simple
Your CTAs tell people exactly what to do
Marketing doesn’t stop at the caption. It has to lead somewhere.
Mistake No. 7 → Expecting Instant Results
This one’s tough, but honest....
Marketing isn’t instant gratification.
Two weeks of effort doesn’t undo months (or years) of inconsistency.
What actually works:
Commit to 90 days before deciding something “isn’t working.”
Pay attention to:
Better conversations
More profile views
Repeat questions
Inquiries that sound more qualified
Momentum builds quietly before it’s obvious.
The Real January Marketing Reset
Here’s the unsexy truth that actually works...
Clear messaging
Fewer platforms
Repeated offers
Systems that don’t rely on motivation
You don’t need to do more this year.
You need to do less ... better.
And if your marketing feels heavy, confusing, or exhausting right now?
That’s not a discipline problem.
That’s a strategy problem.