The 5 Most Common Marketing Mistakes

By John Gumas - Gumas Advertising

The marketing and promotion of any product or service is a challenge.  What's the best way to market my company?  What strategies should I use?  How do I best allocate my budget to get the greatest impact and return? We've compiled a list of 5 of the most common mistakes companies make when marketing their products and services.  Mistake #1 - Creating Institutional, Instead of Direct Response, Advertising Successful direct response advertising is the process of providing your target audience with a compelling reason to respond coupled with a strong call to action.  That call to action could be as simple as "call us", "visit our Web site", or "get a free something."  Typically, prospects will respond if there is a compelling reason to do so.  In everything you do, be sure to give them an offer they can't refuse.  And be sure to create a sense of urgency - you want to hear from your target immediately. Mistake #2 - Not Having a USP - A Unique Selling Proposition, or USP, is what sets you apart from your competition.  Without one, you are just another company out there.  What makes you different from your competitors?  What benefit do you offer that your competitors don't?  Some companies actually make their name part of their USP, such as Best Buy, Budget Car Rental or Bob's All Natural Foods.  Define your USP and stick to it.  Mistake #3 - Failure to Address Your Customers' Needs Successful companies always ask their prospects and customers what they want.  They don't assume.  The only reason someone does business with you is to fulfill a need or solve a problem.  You must find out what these needs and desires are, and then fulfill them better than any of your competitors.  Mistake #4 - Talking Features and Not Benefits Try not to focus on your company, product or service, but rather the wants and needs of your target audience.  All your prospect cares about is "what's in it for me?"  In promotional material, emphasize the benefits and then support those benefits with the product or service's features.  Mistake #5 - Not Having A Back-End - Many companies put 100% of their advertising focus toward generating new customers.  Typically, of those new prospects who respond, a very small percentage buy.  A strong back-end marketing program can help you close a larger percentage of these prospects over time.  You should develop a separate program that exclusively targets these prospects.  A strong back-end is a very low cost way to dramatically increase sales. JG -