I totally get the appeal of DIY marketing. You’re trying to save money, take control, and move fast. Platforms like Canva, Wix, and Mailchimp make it look easy—and YouTube is full of tutorials telling you that you can do it all yourself.
But here’s the thing I’ve seen over and over again:
DIY marketing often costs more than it saves.
I’ve worked with countless small businesses and solo entrepreneurs who came to me after months (or years) of trying to market themselves. And almost every time, they tell me the same thing:
“I didn’t realize how much time I was losing.”
“I thought I was saving money, but I was actually losing business.”
If you’re trying to do everything yourself, here’s what it might really be costing you—and what you can do instead.
1. Time You Could Be Spending on Your Business
Marketing isn’t a one-time task. It takes consistent effort: writing content, tweaking your website, checking analytics, responding to reviews, and more.
Every hour you spend on these things is an hour not spent running your business, serving customers, or making sales.
Even if you’re decent at marketing, it’s probably not your best use of time. Delegating your digital marketing frees you up to focus on what you’re best at—and what brings in the most revenue.
2. Missed Opportunities (Because You Didn’t Know What You Didn’t Know)
DIY tools can only take you so far. They don’t teach you:
- How to structure your website for local SEO
- How to optimize metadata or fix Core Web Vitals
- How to build a content strategy that ranks
- How to manage your Google Business Profile effectively
These are the kinds of details I help clients with every day—and they’re the difference between having a website and having a website that works.
Just because you can build something doesn’t mean it’s going to perform.
3. Inconsistent Branding and Messaging
When you’re creating everything yourself—your logo, your website, your social posts—it’s easy to end up with messaging that feels disjointed.
Your colors might change. Your tone might shift. Your calls to action might be vague or missing altogether.
That lack of consistency confuses potential customers and weakens your credibility. In contrast, working with a professional (even for just a few core assets) can bring cohesion and clarity to your entire brand.
4. Money Lost to Low Conversions
Let’s say you manage to set up a website, launch some ads, and send out emails. You might even get traffic. But if that traffic isn’t converting into leads or sales, you’re just burning time and money.
I’ve seen DIY websites with:
- No clear CTA
- Broken forms
- Slow mobile speeds
- SEO errors that tank rankings
All of these things quietly kill conversions. And the worst part? Most business owners don’t even know it’s happening.
What To Do Instead: Start Small, But Start Smart
You don’t have to hire a full-time marketer or spend thousands upfront. But you do need to invest in the parts of your digital presence that matter most.
Here’s what I recommend:
- Get your website professionally audited or built (even just a few key pages)
- Set up review management so your happy customers work for you
- Let someone else handle your SEO basics so you actually show up in search
- Focus your DIY energy on the parts you enjoy—like writing blogs or recording videos
I work with clients of all sizes to figure out the most efficient, effective way to grow their marketing—without wasting time or money.
Let’s Stop the DIY Burnout
If you’ve been trying to do it all yourself and it’s just not working, that’s okay. You gave it a shot. Now let’s take it to the next level.
Reach out today and I’ll help you prioritize what to hand off, what to keep, and how to finally start seeing results from your marketing.
