When it comes to marketing, there are a lot of good ideas. For example, finding a professional video editing software free download can help you produce better marketing videos and save money in the process. Not every marketing idea is a good idea, though, and when we try to cut corners or get ahead of ourselves, business owners sometimes make big marketing mistakes.
Your marketing is what lets your customers know who you are and what you have to offer, and it’s what attracts your customers to you. And because of that, you can’t afford to be making big mistakes in your marketing. Before signing off on your next marketing campaign or proposing a new strategy, you may want to take a step back and make sure that you’re not making one of the marketing mistakes listed below.
Jumping the Gun
When you get an idea, it’s easy to get excited and try to put things in motion without going through the proper steps. When it comes to your marketing strategy, though, that can be a terrible mistake. Too often, businesses are acting without backing, meaning that they’re making claims, releasing marketing materials, etc. without having a product in their hands or without going through the proper registration channels.
When you jump the gun, you are at greater risk of losing everything–and not only the product and campaign you’ve worked so hard on. If things go terribly wrong, it could cost you everything your company has.
Focusing Only on Sales
Sales are important, that goes without saying, but did you know that 50 percent of your leads and prospects aren’t a good fit for your product or service? That’s because far too often businesses will focus only on sales and getting as many as possible. While more sales would be ideal, prospecting more people is not always the answer. It’s easy to spend too much time and money trying to get someone who isn’t a good fit onboard.
In the case of sales, quality trumps quantity.
Not Knowing Your Target Market
Every business has an ideal customer and target market, but one mistake that too many businesses are making these days is not taking the time to hone in on their target market and get to know their “ideal customer” on a personal level. Part of the reason may be because it takes a lot of time and research, but it’s worth putting in the time beforehand so that you don’t have to make up for lost time and lose out on a lot of potential business in the process.
Offering No Unique Value Proposition
It seems that most markets are saturated with businesses all offering similar products and services, but even if that’s true, there are still things that you and your business do so uniquely that make you stand out. The problem is that not many businesses are adequately pointing out what makes them unique so consumers don’t know why they might be a better choice than their competitor. Coming up with a unique value proposition takes time, research, and though, but looking at others’ examples is a great start. If you don’t offer a UVP, though, your customers will never know why you’re a better choice for them.
Neglecting the Long-Game
There are plenty of marketing strategies that can bring results that take effect almost immediately; however, only focusing on the short game is a big mistake. Companies that don’t put any effort into long-term marketing such as SEO are losing out on a lot of opportunities. While PPC and other short-term strategies can bring in money right away, they cost more than other long-term solutions and may not be sustainable over time, causing the business to wane as time goes on.
Letting Social Media Slip Through the Cracks
Social media is a tool that every business needs to be using and that most businesses are taking advantage of; however, too many businesses are not putting in the effort that they need to and are letting their social media slip through the cracks. 78 percent of consumers report that they’ve discovered products through Facebook and if you’re not maximizing your social media efforts and keeping up with your posting then you could be missing out on a lot of business.
Putting Customer Service on the Back Burner
Every business knows that customer service is important, but businesses are making the big mistake of putting it on the back burner and making sales and other aspects of their business the priority. While there may be aspects that should be a high priority, customer service is not something that should be placed on hold. 55 percent of consumers say they are willing to pay more for a good experience which goes to show just how much of a priority customer service should be.
Final Thoughts
It’s impossible to run a business without making any mistakes, but the types of mistakes you make can make all the difference when it comes to your business barely surviving or totally thriving. While you should plan on making mistakes, there are definitely areas in which you want to avoid them whenever possible, one of those areas being marketing. By being more purposeful in your marketing and reviewing your projects and campaigns throughout the process, you can avoid making big mistakes like those listed above and help your company keep moving forward despite any other little mistakes that may be made along the way.
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