Marketing can be a tricky topic to get your head around, especially when you’re not sure about your strategy or don’t have an in-depth plan in place. People often make marketing mistakes in planning or implementing strategies, either due to a lack of proper knowledge about marketing concepts or in a rush to gain instant benefits. Whatever the reason, but, it’s a fact that marketing strategy blunders will not only derail your entire campaign but will also strangle your business’ growth.
1. Not having a consistent brand
Having a brand that’s consistent throughout all of your marketing ensures that your business is recognisable to new and existing customers. It takes about 0.05 seconds for people to form an opinion on your website which means you need to wow your website users straight away. Not only does having a clear brand give a good first impression but it increases the likeliness of people remembering your business. If you have a bold logo that sticks out or a catchy slogan that people can’t forget then, when it comes to someone needing your product or service, they’ll remember you. You can ensure your branding is consistent by:
- Using the same brand colours across your entire website and social media – get specific by using the hex or GRB codes.
- Use the same font in all of your copy, from website text to social media graphic text to contracts.
- Ensure your business values are clear in all of your work and everything you share.
- Use a high res copy of your logo on all your social media platforms.
2. Rushing campaigns
In order to increase the success of your marketing campaigns, it’s important that you don’t rush the process. You need to put lots of time and planning into your campaigns to be certain that they’re right for your business. The typical mistakes that come from rushing a campaign include the wrong information being sent out, marketing not being targeted to the right audience and a disappointment in the return on investment. Make sure you have a plan in place for every marketing campaign that includes research on your target audience and clear goals of what you’d like to achieve.
3. Not having a clear strategy
Without a strategy you have no direction to follow, which can feel a bit like being lost at sea. A strategic plan works similar to a roadmap, it clearly defines the best route for your business to take in order to achieve your targets. An effective marketing plan should include:
- SMART business goals (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Time-bound).
- A vision and mission statement.
- An in-depth plan of how you’re going to achieve your goals (what marketing strategies you’re going to use, how you’re going to use them and who you’re going to need to use them).
4. Ignoring bad reviews
Nobody wants to see a bad review on their Google My Business or Facebook page, however sometimes it may be unavoidable. The worst thing to do in this scenario is to ignore them as if they don’t exist. Not only would Google penalise you for this, by ranking your website lower on their results page, but it also doesn’t show new customers a good representation of your business. By replying to a bad review in an apologetic manner you’re showing that you’re taking accountability and want to ensure you have happy customers.
5. Using too much jargon
Understandably, you want to show your followers how skilled you are at what you do, but using too much jargon when doing this can put people off. If people don’t understand your posts or website information then they’ll struggle to understand whether or not you can help them and won’t build that important relationship with your business. One of the most effective ways to check you’re not using too much jargon is to ask around. Ask your colleagues, your family, your friends and see if they understand exactly what you’re saying before you release it in marketing implementation.
6. Not having a clear Unique Selling Point (USP)
Having a USP is an effective way to define your product or service and set it apart from your competition. Without a USP, potential clients won’t know why they should invest their money into your business instead of similar businesses around them. A strong USP can capture an audience that is interested in your business which will lead to an increase in sales. If you’re unsure what your USP is then it’s worth speaking to your clients to see why they like buying from your business and sitting back to consider why you love doing what you do. An example of a USP could be the quality of your products (Are they sustainable? Are they the best quality around?) or customer service (Do you pride yourself on amazing customer service?).
7. Choosing the wrong platform
Social media is a very popular marketing strategy and it takes a lot of time to build up a strong platform. That’s why you want to ensure that you’re investing all of this time into the right platforms. Different social media platforms have a different purpose and a different demographic of people using them.
8. Not having a strong online presence
The internet is a powerful tool and definitely one that needs to be used today. Without an online presence, it’s difficult to reach a wider audience. It’s also something that people expect to see nowadays, so if you don’t have it then people will struggle to trust your business. If you don’t already, make sure you have a website set up that is easy to use and clear about what you do as well as social media platforms that you share content onto regularly.
9. Buying social media followers
Buying followers has been around for a while and it’s often considered the bane of a marketeer’s life. Paying for your followers is not an effective way of increasing your social media channels. Although you might think it looks nice on your page, all it means is that you have followers. These followers aren’t engaging with your posts which means they’re not being pushed out any further. On top of this, these followers are not interested in your product or service which means that you’re not getting sales. It’s much better to build your social media channels organically by sharing relevant content regularly and engaging with your real-life followers.
10. Failure to realize the importance of customer loyalty
It can be easy to only notice the new customers that come into your business, however you’ll often see that creating loyal customers can be more beneficial to your business. Once you’ve already engaged with a customer it’s easier to keep them engaged rather than get the engagement of a completely new customer. Whilst you shouldn’t forget about acquiring new customers, you should keep engaged with your existing customers by:
- Engaging with them on social media.
- Keeping in touch through email marketing.
- Showing gratitude and thanks to each and every customer.
Conclusion
With the business landscape forever in flux and changing at a rapid pace, it’s tough being a marketer. You have to constantly learn and master new technologies, communication platforms, and audience pains all at the same time. And it’s dreadfully easy to make a mistake. It’s just as important to avoid marketing mistakes as it is to plan the right strategy. Even a few unintended strategic blunders can derail your entire marketing campaign and cost you a fortune.
