Many of us wonder, why marketing is not working for me. We feel that it is a very complex topic and that’s not for me. Over the past several years of working with business owners, I realised they make somewhat similar kinds of mistakes while planning their marketing strategy. Once they realise these marketing mistakes and decide to work on them, it is as easy as A-B-C.
So let’s see what are the 7 biggest mistakes and how to avoid it.
Marketing Mistake #1: Not identifying your target market clearly
This is a mistake that many companies make. They try to sell their products to everyone and end up selling nothing. This is because they don’t understand their target market well enough. The first step in marketing a product is understanding the audience you are trying to sell to. So, you need to identify your target market and then tailor your marketing campaign accordingly.
Marketing Mistake #2: Not Creating a Clear Message for Your Audience
The message you want to convey about your product or service is the most important aspect of your marketing strategy. This mistake is usually made when a company has a very clear message for themselves, but not for their target audience. This can result in a number of problems, such as:
- A lack of clarity in the message that’s being conveyed to the audience
- Inconsistent messaging across different platforms
- A lack of engagement with the target audience
- Lack of conversion from prospects to customers
Learn more about communicating effectively with your prospects
Marketing Mistake #3: Not utilising all channels of marketing
The marketing landscape has drastically changed in the past few years. There are at least 7 channels of marketing that are wonderful lead generation methods and as a business, one must adopt all 7 over a period of time. Your total number of leads in your business are directly proportional to the number of channels you activate.
These are:
- Social Media Marketing
- Email Marketing
- Content Marketing
- Google Adwords (Pay Per Click)
- Trade Shows
- Referral Marketing
- Affiliate Marketing
But don’t try and bring them all at the same time as you will not have enough bandwidth or capital and you will not be able to perfect them. Keep the focus on one or two max, develop it and then move to another.
Marketing Mistake #4: Failing to Measure Your Results and Feedback
Measuring your results and feedback is easy to do with the help of a good CRM.
It’s not enough to just generate leads, you need to convert them into customers. To do this, you’ll need to measure your lead conversion process. You should have a clear understanding of what percentage of leads are converting into customers. You should also know which channels are generating the most revenue.
Measuring your results and feedback is an important part of any lead generation process. When you’re able to see what’s working and what isn’t, it becomes easier for you to improve your processes in the future.
Marketing Mistake #5: Selling Yourself Too Hard
It’s easy to get caught up in the excitement of a new opportunity and start selling yourself too hard. However, this can be a mistake. If you’re too aggressive and pushy, you’ll come off as unprofessional and may scare the other party away.
The key to successful sales is to listen and let your prospect do most of the talking. This will allow you to learn about their needs and goals so that you can match them with the right solution. It also gives your prospect time to warm up to you before they feel pressured by your pitch.
Marketing Mistake #6. Failing to covert leads into new customers
The more leads you have, the more work you have to do. This is why conversion rates are so important. If you fail to convert a lead into a customer, it’s hard to measure the success of your marketing efforts.
When it comes to conversion, there are many factors that can make or break a lead. The first and most important factor is credibility. If the lead does not trust your company, they will never convert into a customer.
It’s important for marketers and sales teams to understand that there is no quick fix and it takes time and effort to build credibility, authority, and trust with potential customers.
As a company, you want to be as transparent as possible. Consumers are more likely to trust your products if they know exactly what they are getting and how it will benefit them. If a company misrepresents its product, the customer will likely not convert and leave a bad review. The way you present your company can have an effect on conversion rates as well.
Marketing Mistake #7. Forgetting the Importance of Customer Service and Support
Customer service and support are critical to the success of any business. It is important that you understand the importance of customer service and support before you launch your product.
Good customer service ensures two things:
- Repeat customers and retention
- Referrals from your existing customers
Bad customer service can dry up repeat customers or new referrals, which can be very detrimental for the business.
Overcoming the seven marketing mistakes can be a game-changer for any business owner. Each business owner first must take cognisance of these mistakes and see where they can plug the gaps in their marketing strategy. Once done they must start rectifying the mistakes one by one.
At Go4Grwoth Consulting we actively work with business owners in overcoming these marketing mistakes so they can focus on what is required for their business to gain an edge.
Cheers!
Gagan Kapoor, Marketing Consultant.
Connect with Gagan on Linkedin
