Everyone knows that marketing is the lifeblood of any small business, but many people forget that it can decrease profits instead of increasing them if done wrong. Of course, many factors play into this, from incorrect messaging to misunderstanding your demographic. In any case, getting your marketing wrong is terrible news and must be avoided at all costs. With this in mind, let’s discuss five marketing mistakes that can kill your business.

Being Too Blatant – Marketing mistake number 1

While most customers accept that marketing is a part of small business, no one likes being sold. This usually isn’t a problem if you research and determine the best methods for getting your message in front of your target audience. The real issue is when your marketing is so blatant that it actively offends your audience by insulting their intelligence.

An excellent example of this these days is the ads in video games. Back when it was just a billboard in a sports game, people were relatively accepting of it since that’s basically how it is in real life.

However, some video game publishers have become highly blatant with their marketing and use intrusive tactics such as full-screen ads that disrupt gameplay. This tactic has not gone over well with their demographic.

How to Avoid Being Too Blatant Marketing Mistake

Remember, marketing is all about subtly. You want your customers to feel smart for doing business with you, not like idiots that fell for a prominent marketing campaign. Know when and where to advertise, and always respect your audience’s intelligence.

Poor Demo Targeting – Marketing mistake number 2

You know the old saying about a good salesperson being able to “sell a refrigerator to an Eskimo.” Unfortunately, no one in the sales and marketing industry uses that saying since it has little to do with reality. If you’re trying to sell a product to someone who doesn’t need it, you’ve already failed.

Back to the video game example, let’s say you’re trying to sell a game aimed at young children. Sure, it needs to appeal to the kids who will be playing it, but who’s your real target demographic? Here’s a hint: the kids who will be playing your game aren’t the ones who will be purchasing it unless they swiped mommy’s credit card behind her back.

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Since the people buying your game will be parents, grandparents, older siblings, and guardians of the children playing the game, you will have to make your marketing appeal to them as well. There are many ways to do this, but the point is that if you overlook this fact during your demographics research and targeting, your campaign will be sunk before it even begins.

How to Avoid Poor 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 by ensuring that your demographics research is as accurate as possible so that you’re not overlooking key details.

Not Marketing to Previous Customers – Marketing mistake number 3

It costs a lot more to turn a fresh lead into a paying customer than getting someone to do business with you a second, third, or fourth time. This is because once someone has bought from you and was satisfied with your product and service, a certain level of trust and credibility has been established. This massive hurdle you’ve just cleared will make future marketing efforts to these previous customers much more accessible.

Despite this obvious fact, many small businesses don’t put as much effort into marketing to their previous customers as they should. As you can imagine, this is inefficient regarding the marketing budget and the amount of time spent doing the marketing. On top of this, they’re also leaving a lot of money on the table.

How to Avoid Not Marketing to Previous Customers Marketing Mistakes

Ensure you get the info you need to follow up with your customers whenever you make a sale. This can be asking for their email address or collecting it automatically when they purchase online as long as you give them the option to opt out. You can also get a customer’s contact info by asking them to leave a review, take a survey, or vote in a poll. Regardless of your chosen method, ensure you get the information you need to continue marketing to them.

Do Your Marketing Right the First Time

As you can see, these marketing mistakes can turn your customers against you, waste your budget on ineffective targeting, and cause you to miss out on a very lucrative segment of your demographic. The good news is that avoiding these mistakes is easy if you put some thought into it. Don’t insult your customer’s intelligence, do your research, and don’t neglect your existing customers. If you can do this, your marketing will make you money. Simple as that.

Small Business Marketing Mistakes

Last Updated in 2022-12-28T09:15:52+00:00 by Lukasz Zelezny

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