____________________________________ 8 Common Marketing Mistakes To Avoid By Charlie Cook ____________________________________ Note: If this shows in your browser, simply click "File" in your browser and select "Save As" and make sure that file type is text (.txt) Links in this article do not show as active because this is a text file. Why text (.txt) format? Text files are much easier to download, don't require much disk space, and easier to print. ======================================================== THE CENTER FOR INTERNET MARKETING RESEARCH AND EDUCATION http://bizinfo.manila.ph ======================================================== Hi, This is Ave Ramel, the Coach of the Center for Internet Marketing Research and Education, exponent of internet marketing since 1999. This article was evaluated by your Coach and made available for The Center's archive for new visitors. 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Proceed to your Coach's Weblog located at http://aredconsult.blogspot.com and discover secrets, tips, and tricks ____________________________________ 8 Common Marketing Mistakes To Avoid By Charlie Cook ____________________________________ Advertising can be one of the fastest ways to market and grow your business or it can be one of the quickest ways to go out of business. With the right ad you can attract clients to your business and increase your profits. With the wrong ad you can spend your way into bankruptcy. To grow your business you need to attract the attention of your prospects, advertising can help you do so if used correctly. Unfortunately, many small business owners waste thousands of dollars on advertising efforts that only achieve minimal results. If you want to get the most from the money you spend to promote your products and services, make sure to avoid these common mistakes. ====================================== Focusing on Your Products and Services ====================================== If you want to get the attention of your prospects, speak to their needs and wants. Your prospects' primary concern isn't that you've been in business for 25 years; it is, do you know the problem they want to solve. Use your ad to identify at least one common problem of your prospects and the benefit of using your product or service. =============================== Having a Weak Marketing Message =============================== All too often you see ads and it takes some thought to figure out what they are even promoting. Make sure your advertisement includes a 7-10 word description of who you serve and the problems you solve so people who read or hear your ad know how you can help them. ===================== Using the Wrong Words ===================== A word here, a phrase there, can change your response rate by hundreds of percent. When you spend money on advertising, first test a number of versions of your copy to identify the one that works best. Just by revising an ad copy so it was client- and problem-centered, I helped one small business owner achieve her best month in sales ever. ================== Missing Motivation ================== Most ads miss the mark in moving prospects to action. If you want to prompt prospects to visit your web site or your store or to contact you, include an offer that motivates them to do so. ==================== Lacking in Frequency ==================== Some people make spur of the moment buying decisions, but most need to become familiar with your services and products, and this takes time. If you want your advertising to work, you need to ensure that your prospects see or hear it regularly. ============================================= Web Sites that Don't Move Prospects to Action ============================================= Many small business owners direct prospects to a website where they have more extensive content covering available services and products. I constantly get calls from people who have been successful at attracting prospects to their web site, but generate few sales. Once prospects get to your web site make sure the content and visual organization moves them to take the action you want them to. Whether it is providing them with ample opportunities to fill in your service inquiry form, or including a subset of your product catalog in your web page navigation bars, help prospects move to client and customer status. ================= Lack of Follow Up ================= Sometimes making a sale requires sending a note or picking up the phone and calling your prospects. If you have an effective lead generation strategy, prospects will provide you with their contact information and the problem they want solved. Use the web, email, and the phone to follow up and close the sale. ================ Lack of Tracking ================ If you are making more from your advertising than you are spending, you're ahead. Frequently small business owners can't tell you which of their efforts helped bring in the business. Track each of your ad campaigns and you'll know where to spend your money in the future, what to modify and what to eliminate. * Do you know how many sales and how much money you made as a result of each of your advertising campaigns? * Are you making any of the above common marketing mistakes? * What elements of your marketing should you change? Put your marketing house in order. Fix your strategy and your materials. If you don't know what to change or how to change it, use experts to help you with strategy, copyrighting, design, PR, and media placement. Avoid these common marketing mistakes and you'll find more people contacting you about your products and services and that you're making more than you're spending on your advertising. ================ About The Author ================ 2004 (c) In Mind Communications, LLC. All rights reserved. The author, Charlie Cook, helps independent professionals and small business owners attract more clients and be more successful. Sign up to receive the Free Marketing Guide and the 'More Business' newsletter, full of practical tips you can use at http://www.charliecook.net ============================== Let Me Help You Get Customers: ============================== AREDCONSULT SERVICES AND SOLUTIONS I. EXECUTIVE COACHING - for busy entrepreneurs, decision-makers and marketing executives who can't spare much time away from their office operations but must immediately grasp and harness internet marketing to contribute to the company's profitability. I will come to you instead. I offer you customized lessons, varied delivery, and at your own time, place and pacing. II. WEBSITE CRITIQUE - for those who already have a website but the results didn't satisfy your expectations, especially your bottomline - profit. I offer you immediate and in-depth assessment. III. 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Business processes that can be outsourced include submission of your website to search engines, email campaigns, mailing list management, product upsell and cross-sell, website content build-up, weblog content, link exchange with other websites, customer relations management, etc. http://bizinfo.manila.ph/coaching http://bizinfo.manila.ph/consultancy http://bizinfo.manila.ph/outsourcing ======== CONTACT: ======== Ask Aredconsult online for any internet marketing questions: http://www.aredconsult.com/ask-aredconsult.htm E-mail: mastermind@ask-the-expert.com Production Office: Tel. # 728-9613 or leave voice mail Corporate Address: Rm. 404 Parchouse II EDSA, Guadalupe Nuevo, beside Sogo Hotel 1200 Makati City, The Philippines ***Trust in the Lord with all your heart***