The Top Five Rookie Marketing Mistakes
The Top Five Rookie Marketing Mistakes
Rookie Mistake #1: Assuming that you are your own target market.
When it comes to marketing your most effective consumer audience, many new business owners make the common mistake of believing they are representative of the target market. For example, they think, “I am upscale, and I read Val-Pak, therefore other women like me read it, and in my market that is the best way to promote.” or, “This ad does not appeal to me, therefore it would not appeal to any woman who is in my demographic group.'”
This thinking is wrong and you should avoid advertising based solely on your personal beliefs or preferences. While tailoring your approach to a targeted market is the most effective way of getting your message to the right people, you do not want to narrow your audience too much, or alienate consumers all together. Instead, consider testing different types of ad campaigns, using focus groups and taking note of the marketing aims of other successful companies that share your industry.
Rookie Mistake #2: Giving up on a marketing plan too soon.
Do not assume your direct mail campaign is a failure because your 5,000 piece mailing only yielded 10 inquiries. Creating brand awareness takes time. Re-evaluate your mailing list and the criteria used when selecting the recipients. If you know that the parameters used were on point, trust your instinct. Be patient and keep at it. Through persistence, you will build your membership base.
It is common for new business owners to blame the marketing when they do not sell products or services effectively. A seasoned pro knows to keep close track of closing percentages so that he/she knows where their team is lacking. Manage every aspect of your business and keep up with any feedback you are getting. By tracking what your clients are doing, as well as how you are being received, you can pinpoint which marketing efforts are working the best.
Rookie Mistake #3: “Saving” money by ordering inexpensive print materials.
Ordering printed marketing materials from an online print wholesaler, a local printer, or producing your own on a home inkjet printer will nearly always translate to diminished quality. Many times, a prospective client will make a decision about your services or products based upon a single postcard, business card, or flyer they receive. Perception is reality when it comes to print quality. Keeping your print material and stationary at high quality presents a polished, professional image to the world and is well worth the money invested.
Rookie Mistake #4: Not keeping consistent with your universal image or brand.
Specific companies serve a specific market niche. For example, elements for women is an upscale, boutique fitness spa promoting a balanced approach to a healthy lifestyle: body, beauty, and mind. Every single marketing directive is consistent with this philosophy. The company does not aim their message at men or those interested in YMCA-type fitness facilities, because that is not consistent with the brand. While first-time business owners will want to target EVERYONE in hopes of getting more hits, they will get more results from directing their efforts towards people their brand is targeted at. It’s quality over quantity. Bottom line: stick to your niche and you will be very successful.
Rookie Mistake #5: Not taking advantage of off-premise marketing opportunities.
Some of the best, most cost-effective marketing can be accomplished through community events and sponsorships, and there are numerous ways to get involved while promoting your business. A community event can take many forms, including a marathon, local festival or charity ball. Although the cost varies depending on the type of event you are involved in, it is usually less costly and more personal than advertising and is a great grass-roots approach to marketing.
You can increase your impact at events by setting up kiosks and trade booths. Be sure to leverage the inclusion of your logo on all printed marketing materials, including event programs, t-shirts and merchandise. The cost is small and you'll make a good return on your investment provided your team assertively seeks and captures leads at the event. Make sure you and your team are properly attired in professional or branded gear and are excited about getting out into the community. Energy is contagious!
The Top Five Rookie Marketing Mistakes - To learn more about this author, visit Christopher Palumbo's Website.
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Launching successful marketing campaigns takes creativity, initiative and perseverance. Although most business owners learn the best ways to market through experience and pain-staking trial and error, there are several common mistakes made by new owners that can easily be avoided with a little foresight and preparation. We highlight these “rookie mistakes” below to help new owners generate effective campaigns that bring in higher returns on investment the first time and every time.
Rookie Mistake #1: Assuming that you are your own target market.
When it comes to marketing your most effective consumer audience, many new business owners make the common mistake of believing they are representative of the target market. For example, they think, “I am upscale, and I read Val-Pak, therefore other women like me read it, and in my market that is the best way to promote.” or, “This ad does not appeal to me, therefore it would not appeal to any woman who is in my demographic group.'”
This thinking is wrong and you should avoid advertising based solely on your personal beliefs or preferences. While tailoring your approach to a targeted market is the most effective way of getting your message to the right people, you do not want to narrow your audience too much, or alienate consumers all together. Instead, consider testing different types of ad campaigns, using focus groups and taking note of the marketing aims of other successful companies that share your industry.
Rookie Mistake #2: Giving up on a marketing plan too soon.
Do not assume your direct mail campaign is a failure because your 5,000 piece mailing only yielded 10 inquiries. Creating brand awareness takes time. Re-evaluate your mailing list and the criteria used when selecting the recipients. If you know that the parameters used were on point, trust your instinct. Be patient and keep at it. Through persistence, you will build your membership base.
It is common for new business owners to blame the marketing when they do not sell products or services effectively. A seasoned pro knows to keep close track of closing percentages so that he/she knows where their team is lacking. Manage every aspect of your business and keep up with any feedback you are getting. By tracking what your clients are doing, as well as how you are being received, you can pinpoint which marketing efforts are working the best.
Rookie Mistake #3: “Saving” money by ordering inexpensive print materials.
Ordering printed marketing materials from an online print wholesaler, a local printer, or producing your own on a home inkjet printer will nearly always translate to diminished quality. Many times, a prospective client will make a decision about your services or products based upon a single postcard, business card, or flyer they receive. Perception is reality when it comes to print quality. Keeping your print material and stationary at high quality presents a polished, professional image to the world and is well worth the money invested.
Rookie Mistake #4: Not keeping consistent with your universal image or brand.
Specific companies serve a specific market niche. For example, elements for women is an upscale, boutique fitness spa promoting a balanced approach to a healthy lifestyle: body, beauty, and mind. Every single marketing directive is consistent with this philosophy. The company does not aim their message at men or those interested in YMCA-type fitness facilities, because that is not consistent with the brand. While first-time business owners will want to target EVERYONE in hopes of getting more hits, they will get more results from directing their efforts towards people their brand is targeted at. It’s quality over quantity. Bottom line: stick to your niche and you will be very successful.
Rookie Mistake #5: Not taking advantage of off-premise marketing opportunities.
Some of the best, most cost-effective marketing can be accomplished through community events and sponsorships, and there are numerous ways to get involved while promoting your business. A community event can take many forms, including a marathon, local festival or charity ball. Although the cost varies depending on the type of event you are involved in, it is usually less costly and more personal than advertising and is a great grass-roots approach to marketing.
You can increase your impact at events by setting up kiosks and trade booths. Be sure to leverage the inclusion of your logo on all printed marketing materials, including event programs, t-shirts and merchandise. The cost is small and you'll make a good return on your investment provided your team assertively seeks and captures leads at the event. Make sure you and your team are properly attired in professional or branded gear and are excited about getting out into the community. Energy is contagious!
The Top Five Rookie Marketing Mistakes - To learn more about this author, visit Christopher Palumbo's Website.
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John PowerJohn Power, founder of Biltmore Franchise Consulting, has extensive experience developing and marketing franchises and business opportunities. He has been in and around franchising for over twenty years. From 1980 through 1990 he conceptualized, organized, and developed the American Video Association. He grew AVA to 2,000 national members, before selling the company it 1990. It was later merged into another home video marketing company. From 2000 to 2005 he worked as a contract marketing and human resources consultant to several local and national companies. In 2005 Mr. Power began working as a franchise development consultant on a full-time basis. Since that time he has helped more than three dozen companies initiate and develop their franchising program. He notes that there are many companies interested in developing a franchise program, and who need his specialized assistance. Mr. Power is a “hands-on” franchise consultant. He said, “I am the ‘nuts and bolts’ person who tends to the details for my clients.” Mr. Power holds a B.S. degree with a major in Marketing. See: www.biltmorefranchise.com You may contact Mr. Power at: jpower@biltmorefranchise.co - Visit John Power's Website |
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Dave KurlanDave Kurlan is the founder and CEO of Objective Management Group, Inc., the industry leader in sales assessments and sales force evaluations, and the CEO of David Kurlan & Associates, Inc., a consulting firm specializing in sales force development. Dave has been a top rated speaker at Inc. Magazine's Conference on Growing the Company, the Sales & Marketing Management Conference and the Gazelles Sales & Marketing Summit. He has been featured on radio and TV, including World Business Review with General Norman Schwarzkopf, in Inc. Magazine, Selling Power Magazine, Sales & Marketing Management Magazine and Incentive Magazine. He is the author of Mindless Selling and Baseline Selling – How to Become a Sales Superstar by Using What You Already Know about the Game of Baseball. He created and wrote STAR, a proprietary recruiting process for hiring great salespeople, and he writes Understanding the Sales Force, a popular business Blog and is a contributing author to The Death of 20th Century Selling and 101 Great Ways to Improve Your Life, Volume 2. - Visit Dave Kurlan's Website |
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Stephanie RobeyStephanie Robey is President and CoFounder of Pivot Positive, LLC - an Internet marketing business focused on helping people start work at home ventures. Previously, she was employed at The Search Agency with over 20 years experience in graphic design and 10 years experience in online marketing. She was responsible for launching the Conversion Path Optimization (CPO) unit where she and her team have conducted hundreds of optimization tests for online companies across multiple verticals. She is a successful entrepreneur having started and sold 2 companies and remains on the board of directors of the third, PhotoSpin.com Stephanie began her career in the direct marketing realm creating and producing direct mail for many of the major cable television companies and directly attributes her understanding of Internet marketing to those early offline experiences. Stephanie is a graduate of San Diego State University with a BFA in Graphic Arts and also holds an Executive MBA from the Graziadio School of Business and Management at Pepperdine University. Read Steph's Blog Meet Steph and Dave Sign up for our Free 7-Day BootCamp: Self Employed & Rich - Visit Stephanie Robey's Website |
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David AchesonDavid Acheson is the founder of DCJA Consultancy. DCJA Consultancy is a management consultancy business specialising in B2B sales consultancy. They offer bespoke and packaged sales consultancy including Sales Optimisation Review, Interim Sales Management, Sales & Marketing Review, 1:1 Sales & Management Staff Analysis, Management Training, Solution Sales Training, Creation of New Pay Plan, KPI's, run Customer Feedback Campaigns, assist with Recruitment, Coaching, Appraisals and set up Strategic Marketing Campaigns. David spent his early career in accountancy and then moved into sales in 1982, working in Office Equipment, IT, Advertising, Training, Outsourcing and Consultancy. He has held many Senior Positions in SMBs and Global Organisations including Head of Sales Operations & Head of Business Development. His knowledge, skills and great experience of the Sales Industry has led to David making keynote speeches and running educational sessions to key businesses through organisations including The Chamber of Commerce and Business Link. - Visit David Acheson's Website |
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As an independent film producer, his upstart film fund Aliquot Films is currently producing a films with Spike Lee and Abel Fererra (starring Ethan Hawke and Dennis Hopper.)
Jay's entrepreneurial spirit is irrepressible. He’s the owner of five companies, a professional speaker and trainer, international real estate developer/investor, extreme sport enthusiast and emerging philanthropist. Jay resides in NYC with his wife Jamie, son Milo and dog Cooper. Visit Jay's official website: www.JayKubassek.com - Visit Jay Kubassek's Website |
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