Common Marketing Errors

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PORTFOLIOS

COMMON MARKETING MISTAKES

WHAT IS YOUR MARKETING OBJECTIVE IN SIMPLE TERMS? If we agree that the purpose of marketing is to generate sales, then we need to learn the most effective ways of doing that. Many of us learn from example because it is easier to mimic something we have witnessed, than it is to invent something unique for ourselves. Regardless of your wares or services, success relies on the quality of what you offer and the distinction achieved from marketing efforts. One way or another, we are all in the marketing business. Your advertising deserves its own personality, so it is our purpose to help you accomplish that. Below is a list of common marketing errors we observe repeatedly.

LACKING A SOLID MARKETING PLAN
Without a marketing plan, it stands to reason that the odds of success are low. Most business people are aware of the need for a visual identity, website, business cards, stationery, mailers, newsletters and the like, but that is only part of the equation. Going through the motions of advertising as an obligation will not yield the desired result either. Specific marketing objectives should be established prior to designing collateral, so money and time are not invested on anything but a professional presentation. Find out who your target audience is and the best way to reach them. If you do not know, take a poll to find out their most important concerns, so your marketing can address those issues. The best marketing plan marries a strong message, to the correct market, using the appropriate media.

BEING UNPREPARD FOR THE PROJECT COSTS EXTRA
To embark on a marketing project requires the client be prepared, able to supply original logo files, quality images, text, physical specifications, limitation and all market applications. To begin without these things will stretch the project and run costs much higher, often creating confusion and/or mistakes as a result. We are here to help create and organize your company's creative assets.

IGNORING PROFESSIONAL ADVICE
What is the point of hiring a professional and then telling them what to do? You would not contract a heart surgeon and dictate how surgery is to be performed. It is the nature of professional artist to look after a client's interests as they are trained to do, so It is important to select a designer whose sensitivities fall in line with yours. They will investigate most of the advantages and disadvantages when coaching for the best solutions.

SELECTING THE MOST CONSERVATIVE PROPOSAL
Over the years we have had many conversations with peers about the innate tendency of clients to choose the weakest and most conservative visual materials from an array of sketches 99 percent of the time. It is surprising to experience this project after project. Now, we only present the single best idea for consideration. If it does not fly, then we go back to the drawing-board. Success is not a result of fitting in, but a reward for distinction.

MARKETING BY MIMICING ANOTHER COMPANY'S SUCCESSFUL STYLE
If marketing is supposed to draw attention to your business, then it makes no sense to rip off the techniques of others, particularly if they are in competition with you. Are you tired of seeing dark-black-and-white-fashion-ads? Nor is it sensible to market in the same way others in your industry are currently doing it. They are not you, and you deserve your own personality and style.

PLACING SMALL LIMITS ON YOUR MARKETING BUDGET OF TIME AND MONEY
This is a classic way to hinder the growth of your business. That does not mean that you should spend an endless amount of money. The objective is to take advantage of every opportunity to market. Compensate for a lack of cash with an investment of time. Advertising expenses are all tax deductible as well.

MARKETING WITHOUT AN OFFER OR CALL TO ACTION
Some advertising is done to maintain visibility through repetition such as Nike's "just Do It" billboards and print ads, intended for the purpose of public relations more than marketing. Many fashion ads are done this way with a focus is on style, without a special offer, incentive, nor call to action. Creating handsome ads are a given requirement from our perspective, and effective marketing materials create desire to act. Instead of using words online such as Click For More, you should use phrases like; Buy Now, Compare And Save, and Limited Offer, to motivate the viewer to make a purchase decision more rapidly. Without a call to action, your marketing message is pointless. State a deadline for ordering your product or services to create urgency.

SHOTGUN MARKETING
This is like throwing spaghetti on the wall to see if it will stick, and it is an outdated form of the most expensive advertising. The most typical example is television commercials that wash over the greatest number of people, which might work for selling soap and other staples, but does not work so well for specialty enterprises and shallow purses. Focus marketing on your target audience.

FILLING ALL THE SPACE
The best marketing materials get attention because they are simple, boiled down to only the essential components, a headline, an image, and an offer. Clutter chokes the space and subtracts from a pleasing experience. Do more with less, save the details for the brochure or website, and leave the kitchen sink in the kitchen.