Rob Murray: What Are the 5 Common Marketing Mistakes Entrepreneurs Make?

21st Century Entrepreneurship

Rob Murray is the CEO and co-founder of Intrigue Media, and we spoke about the five most common marketing mistakes that entrepreneurs often make — and more importantly, how to avoid them. With over two decades of experience in marketing and advertising, Rob shared practical insights and solutions that have helped businesses achieve predictable success.

The first mistake is communicating to the wrong part of the brain. According to Rob, “People have a tendency to communicate to the neurocortex...but the neurocortex is not responsible for decision making. The limbic brain is responsible for decision making and emotions.” Entrepreneurs often focus on logic rather than emotion, which is where decision-making really happens.

The second mistake entrepreneurs make is assuming growth comes solely from new business. Rob clarifies, “People think sales and growth is a result of new business and often forget that there's an entire revenue model that can be optimized.” He emphasizes that business owners need to focus on all seven key variables of their revenue model, not just customer acquisition.

Mistake number three is talking about the business too much instead of focusing on the customer. “No one cares about you as a business owner…they care about two things: solving their problems and accomplishing their goals.” By making the customer the hero, businesses can build trust and credibility.

The fourth mistake is launching marketing efforts without a clear goal. Rob points out, “Usually people don’t have a business outcome in mind when starting marketing. They think it’s about impressions and social media posting versus actually trying to accomplish a business outcome.” Entrepreneurs must define what success looks like, whether it’s increasing leads, reducing cost per lead, or improving customer acquisition rates.

Lastly, Rob highlights the importance of benchmarking. “People don't have any benchmarks, so they don’t understand if they’re performing better or worse than peers in their industry.” Without knowing how well they’re doing compared to others, businesses risk underperforming and missing out on growth opportunities.

Key Takeaways:

1. Talk to the right part of the brain: Focus on the limbic brain, where emotions drive decisions.
2. Optimize the revenue model: Don’t just chase new business; improve conversion rates, pricing, and customer retention.
3. Make the customer the hero: “No one cares about you…they care about solving their problems.”
4. Have clear goals: Define specific business outcomes for your marketing, not just vanity metrics like impressions.
5. Benchmark against industry standards: Measure performance to ensure you’re not underperforming in comparison to your competitors.

These insights offer a roadmap for entrepreneurs looking to improve their marketing effectiveness and achieve measurable growth.