Being Too Open – the #1 marketing mistake Contents While most customers accept that marketing is part of a small business, no one likes to be sold to. This is usually not a problem if you research and determine the best methods to get your message in front of your target audience. The real problem is when your marketing is so blatant that you actively offend your target audience by insulting their intelligence. A perfect example of this these days is Video Games. While it was just a billboard in a sports game, people were relatively accepting of it because that's basically how it is in real life. However, some video game publishers have become extremely reckless with their marketing, using intrusive tactics such as full-screen ads that interrupt gameplay. This tactic was not well received by their demographic. How to Avoid Being Too Open? Marketing Mistake Remember, marketing is all about subtlety. You want your customers to feel smart for doing business with you, not like idiots who fell for a standout marketing campaign. Know when and where to advertise and always respect the intelligence of your target audience.


Poor Demo Targeting – Marketing mistake #2 You know the old saying that a good salesman can "sell a refrigerator to an Eskimo". Unfortunately, no one in the sales and marketing industry uses this phrase because it is based on facts. If you're trying to sell a product to someone who doesn't need it, you've already failed. Going back to the video game example, let's say you're trying to sell a game aimed at teenagers called Kids. Sure, it needs to appeal to kids who will be playing the game, but who is your real target audience? Here's a tip: the kids who will play your game are not the Email Data kids who will buy it unless they swipe their mom's credit card behind their backs. Hiring an SEO Consultant Since the people purchasing your game will be the parents, grandparents, older siblings and guardians of the children playing the game, you will need to ensure that your marketing appeals to them as well. There are many ways to do this, but the point is that if you overlook this fact during your demographic research and targeting, your campaign will sink before it even starts. How to Avoid Bad Demo Targeting Marketing Mistakes Whether your demographics research team is a part of your marketing department, works independently, or works as contractors, you must ensure they've done a thorough job before launching your marketing campaign.



While hitting a home run with a marketing campaign is rare, and course corrections are the norm, you can significantly increase your chances of success accurately as
possible so that you're not overlooking key details. Not Marketing to Previous Customers – Marketing mistake #3 It costs much more to convert a new lead into a paying customer than to get someone to do business with you for a second, third or fourth time. This is because after a person purchases from you and is satisfied with your product and service, a certain level of trust and reliability is established. This big hurdle you've just overcome is that your future marketing efforts will be much more accessible to these past customers. Despite this obvious fact, many small businesses do not put as much effort into marketing to their previous customers as they should. As you can imagine, this is counterproductive from a marketing perspective. BUDGET and amount of time spent on marketing. On top of that there's a lot of money on the table. How to Avoid Marketing to Previous Customers Marketing Mistakes Make sure you get the information you need to follow up with your customers when you make a sale. This automatically collects their email address or when they shop online unless you give them the option to opt-out.