Marketing trends and tactics are constantly evolving and changing, and it can be difficult for new entrepreneurs and business owners to parse out which marketing approach works best for them. Here are 7 common and easily avoidable marketing mistakes!
Not Having a Clear Marketing Plan
Every business needs to have a clear and strategic marketing plan if they want their marketing strategies to be fruitful. Start with the basics, such as: What are your business’ strengths, and how can you differentiate them from other businesses? Which areas of your business do you want to see the most growth? What demographic are you targeting, and what is the most effective way to reach them?
Neglecting to Establish Your Brand Identity
To market yourself effectively, you need to identify what sets you apart from the competition. You will attract more consumers by showing off what makes your business unique and special! Establishing a strong brand identity is a necessary starting point, and as you grow so will the strength and visibility of your brand.
Ignoring the Competition
Scoping out your competition will help you set yourself apart from them. A simple Google search can tell you a lot about your competitors’ customer base, brand identity, products and services, and marketing tactics. From there, you can easily determine how you want to establish your own business’ unique identity and makeup, and how you want to present and market yourself to your target audience.
Only Using One Marketing Tactic
The world of marketing is constantly changing, and to consistently promote your business effectively you must be open to new marketing tactics. This can be particularly challenging for small business owners, who are often already overtasked without the added responsibility of researching and implementing new marketing tactics. It’s a good idea to consider working with a marketing company that can handle your promotional duties for you.
Avoiding Digital Marketing
Businesses need to be savvy towards current marketing trends, and digital marketing (such as social media and SEO) is no exception. It can yield fantastic ROI when utilized properly -- e.g., choosing the right social media avenues, promoting your business and services to target demographic effectively, using appropriate SEO keywords, etc. Digital marketing is a highly effective, quite affordable and increasingly necessary mode of marketing.
Underestimating the Influence of Word-of-Mouth Advertising
Despite the undeniable importance of digital marketing, word of mouth marketing is still an invaluable tool that all small businesses should take into account. It is completely free and occurs naturally when customers are especially happy with your service or products. Encourage your satisfied customers to spread the word! Word of mouth advertising brings in organic traffic and new customers, as well as repeat customers.
Trying to Sell to Everyone
Even if your product or service might has a broad audience appeal, businesses should not make the mistake of trying to market themselves to everyone. Your marketing efforts will become unfocused, watered-down and generic, when you want them to be clear, dynamic and specific to your brand. It is important to pinpoint and focus on specific target demographics so that you can use marketing approaches that will reach your target audience directly and effectively.
Understanding what not to do when it comes to marketing helps make clear what you should do, and how you can develop a clear and strategic marketing plan for your business. Avoiding these common marketing mistakes will save you time and money, while helping your business thrive!
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