Deboras “Dev” Andrejevas ⏐ 19 Mar 2025 ⏐ 2-minute read.

Bloodletting Marketing—A Disease That Prevents the Success of Small Businesses

Without exaggeration, there’s a marketing disease currently running rampant and the highest casualty rate is found in small businesses.

Doesn’t matter if you’ve survived inflation, recessions, new government policies—don’t think you’re safe. This disease doesn’t let go of its host that easily.

Truth be told, it’s very nasty and excruciatingly difficult to remedy.

Although it has no formal name, I refer to this disease as “Bloodletting Marketing”.

I coined the term because just like the medieval practice of draining blood to “cure” people, this type of marketing is based on nothing but wishful thinking.

How You Get Infected

Usually, it’s contracted by hiring an “ad agency” run by a kid who just finished going through the €500 marketing course that’s been shilled to him.

Or by a corporate stooge who has never once been held accountable for the results he brings (or lack thereof).

Thanks to the internet being so “cheap”, ad agencies run by the aforementioned folk are popping out like unwanted pimples on a thirteen-year-old.

Now, are these guaranteed to infect your business? No.

Just like how you aren’t guaranteed to get STDs from a “lady of the night”. You might be one of the lucky ones that gets away with it, but is it really worth the risk?

Symptoms of Bloodletting Marketing

I’m sure you’re curious to see if you’re currently experiencing any of the symptoms.

To appease your curiosity and potentially cure you, here are a few ways to spot if you’ve been taken advantage of and are currently suffering from “Bloodletting Marketing”.

• You’re running “brand awareness” campaigns without proper strategy or thought behind it — and no, thinking that people will flock to you because they see your picture or logo isn’t a strategy. It’s wishful thinking.
• Your ads don’t follow the principles of direct-response advertising (headline, info, offer, CTA).
• Your marketing team sets a fixed marketing budget for the year and doesn’t capitalise on the success of winning ads.
• MOST IMPORTANT: You’re copying advertising done by BIG DUMB companies and expecting a huge surge in sales or growth. Have a billion- dollar ad budget? No? Then stop copying them.
• You’re adhering to the industry norms. I’m not talking about breaking laws, that would be outright stupid. But blindly copying advertising done by your competitors and hoping for amazing results—fast—is just as dumb.

Remedies To Save Your Business

Now, if you experience one or two of the symptoms, it’s not 100% guaranteed you have it, but alarm bells should be ringing in your head.

And, if they are ringing, no matter how small it seems, it’s in YOUR best interest to have it checked out because it’s better to eradicate this success-threatening disease before it spreads to the point of no-return.

However, three or more and I’d be firing whoever’s running your marketing (especially if it’s you) and start looking for someone else ASAP.

I’m not asking you to believe me.

I’m just letting you know what’s happening.

It’s up to you whether you do something about it.

But if you need help with eradicating bloodletting marketing from your business, reach out to me HERE and I’ll give you some proven remedies for free.

Talk soon,

Dev.