What Not to do in Marketing
ByThere are many marketing errors we have all made but I thought I would share four that come to mind fast with you today.
Mistake number one is not putting out an offer. Simply sending out a postcard, brochure, or price list without an offer is not going to get much response. Take a look at advertisements you receive from national chain stores, there is an offer. A percent off, a free something, a bonus of some type something to compel you to consider their product or service.
Mistake number two is giving actual dollars off coupon.
When you create your offer, I would discourage a cash discount. I saw a clothing store send out $50 off coupons. I thought it was a great idea that might catch a high school senior’s eye, or at least their mom’s.
Let’s think this through a little. First of all let’s assume you charge $50 for an 8×10 for this example. Compare giving your customer $50 cash off of their order vs. what it would cost you to “give” them an 8×10. An 8×10 would cost you two to four dollars to make and they would be getting a $50 value. A cash discount of $50 costs you not receiving $50. Buy giving away a $50 value 8×10 instead, you saved $46 to $48 dollars cash money and your client still got her $50 value!
This coupon might work just fine for a retail store but I tried it and realized that it was a big mistake for me.
Mistake number three is not including a call to action.
When sending out a promotion, a short deadline is a must to urge the client to act promptly. You do not want to have an offer without an expiration date, you want them to call now and not set your promotion aside and think about it. The words “Call today” or “Call Now” are common.
Mistake number four is a big display ad in the Yellow Pages.
Most referrals for service based businesses like ours comes from word of mouth. Print ads do not seem to have much impact. The phone book seems like a big waste of money.
In my area of Cedar Rapids, Iowa there are a lot of display ads for photographers. I noticed in the Des Moines, Iowa phone book area there are no display ads for photographers. What is the difference? It actually becomes a competition between photographers of the same area. Understandably each photographer is trying to get noticed over the others. This is great for the yellow page ad representative in Cedar Rapids, but it is only draining the advertising budget of the local photographers. The Des Moines group is smart and saving a lot of money.
Where are most people going to find you? Ask them! But I bet they will tell you it is word of mouth, and the internet will be the biggest responses.
