Getting Started

Top 5 Monumental Marketing Mistakes You Should Avoid

Mistake 1:  Consistently Being Inconsistent
Do you only have time to market when your business is slow?  Sporadic marketing is a real challenge and a reality for many businesses.  The fact remains that if you do turn your marketing switch to “off”, you’ll suffer the ramifications of that switch down the road.  It may be next week, next month, or next year, but know that the slowdown will hit you.  If you are not consistently staying in touch with your clients, they are not thinking of you when they need you.  The key is to maintain a consistent connection with your client base, old and new alike.

Mistake 2:  Focusing Your Marketing on You and Your Company, not Your Client
This may sound harsh, but people only listen to what you have to say if it has a benefit for them.  The fact that your company is the best, fastest, newest, oldest, greatest, etc. makes not a bit of difference to potential clients.  What gets their attention is speaking to them on topics they are interested in or can benefit from.  The key here is to talk about your clients, not about yourself or your company.

Mistake 3:  Only Marketing to New Clients
Did you know it can costs 10 times more money to gain a new client versus keeping a current client?  With that in mind, why is it that most businesses spend virtually all of their marketing budget solely on gaining new clients?  On top of that, 99% of marketing and ad agencies would have you believe that spending tons of money trying to gain new clients is the only way to market!  New clients are certainly important.  However, the client you sold to last week, last month or last year is the client that you should be communicating with today!  The key is to put our current clients at the top of the list, not the bottom. 

Mistake 4:  Delivering and Unclear Message in an Already Unclear World
Have you ever seen a commercial and thought, “That was funny, but I wonder what they are selling?”  If yes, you have experienced first hand an unclear message.  People are constantly berated with commercials, slogans, billboards, and advertisements to the tune of more than 1,000 per day.  So, in order to stand out, you need to make your message clear.  If someone doesn’t quite understand what you are offering, they won’t spend 5 minutes (or even 5 seconds) trying to figure it out.  The key is to provide a clear message with a clear goal in mind.  

Mistake 5:  Not Starting with the End Goal in Mind
You need to decide what it is that you would like for your current and future clients to do.  Do you want them to call your office or visit you in person?  Then, when they do call or visit, what do you want them to ask about?  You may have dozens of products and services, but it’s likely you have a “top three” that make up the majority of your profit.  Take those top three items and formulate your marketing campaign around them.  This will help you maximize the profits from your marketing.  When you start with the end goal in mind, your marketing will have a clear message that interests the client and steers them toward your most profitable products or services.  The key is to construct your entire marketing plan with the end goal in mind, thereby giving it a laser focus toward your most profitable offerings.