Poorly Written Copy
Spending a few thousand dollars to place an ad in the newspaper or to start an email marketing campaign is a huge waste of money if that copy is not well-written.
This doesn’t only mean that all of the grammar and spelling is correct. It also means that the copy is going to be compelling to the people that you need to compel, your target market.
Failing to Clearly Identify Your Target Market
Some small business owners do not even bother to identify their target market before beginning their marketing efforts.
This is a huge mistake as the money you spend could be wasted. Once you figure out who your target market is then you need to develop a plan to reach that portion of the population.
Not Addressing the Needs of Customers and Potential Customers
Some copy goes on and on about how great the product or service is, but it fails to address why customers may need that product or service.
You should include in the copy the need or want that you are going to fill with your product or service.
Skimping on Marketing
While it is true that small business owners need to watch every dime, marketing is not the best place to skimp.
You should cut back on expenses that are not directly related to increasing revenue. While it might seem like a good idea to slash your marketing or advertising budget, the bottom line could suffer for it.
Even if you need to make cuts, do all you can to leave some room in the budget for marketing and advertising.
Failing to Deliver
A customer who responds to your ad is not going to be happy if the promises in that ad are not kept. You should consider outstanding customer service to be an important part of your marketing plan rather than something separate from it.
One of the best ways to keep customers coming back is, obviously, to keep them happy. If you provide excellent service, most customers are going to stay with you even if someone is offering a similar product or service a little cheaper.
Great customer service is some of the best marketing there is.
