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As a marketer/copywriter, I can never resist critiquing every postcard, TV ad, sales letter or brochure I run across. And whether the company is big or small, I see the exact same mistakes made time and again. To a large degree this is because fat cat corporations have traditionally had lots of marketing and advertising dollars to burn, and used few, if any, ways to track results. So they invest in lots of branding ads and fancy commercials. And maybe a little direct mail. Of course, since that’s what we see the most, it’s only natural for small business owners to follow that example. So if you do any marketing or advertising, it’s probably more about branding and visibility than making sales. Small business owners simply can’t afford to do this. But that’s not the only expensive, business-killing marketing mistake I see small businesses make all the time. Below are 6 more you’ll want to avoid like the plague... Mistake #1 – Branding-only promotions. While branding is important, if you’re creating ads and promotions that primarily include only your name and/or business name, phone number, logo, headshot, and Web address, you’re missing the boat. Every promotion you do should, at a minimum, give people a good reason to want to know more and an incentive to do it. So make ‘em an offer they can’t refuse and provide plenty of reasons to take advantage of it right now (think deadlines, special bonuses, limited quantity, etc.)! Then track results. Mistake #2 – Assuming your prospects, clients or customers won’t do something. This includes... Attend a seminar, read a long sales page, listen to audio, take action, buy this. Typically people make these assumptions based on what they themselves like, or will or won’t do. Since everyone has a different learning style (some people learn by reading, others by listening, or watching, or doing) and living style, it’s dangerous to assume everyone in your market is the same. Instead of not using certain formats, use all possible formats to appeal to the most people possible. Or at the very least test one against the other until you find the best option. Mistake #3 – Offering a free consultation as your primary lead-generation tactic. Listen, when somebody offers you a free consultation, what do you think first? If you’re like most people, you immediately think “sales pitch.” And who wants to volunteer to spend their time listening to a sales pitch—especially for something they’re not even sure they want. Instead, offer something of value. Something they’re going to want. Even if that just means renaming or reframing your original offer to make it juicy and benefits-laden. Mistake #4 – Not telling people what to do next. Every piece of marketing or advertising you do should have a compelling offer combined with a clear call to action (Do A to get B). In other words, once you come up with something of value to offer them, you need to convince them of why they would want it, then tell them exactly what to do to get it. Mistake #5 – Expecting people to guess or search. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve wanted to buy something, or order something, or sign up for something, but didn’t because I couldn’t figure out how or where. Everyone is so busy, so you can’t expect anyone to spend time figuring out how to take the next step. So make sure your contact info is on everything you do. And more importantly, even if you have your contact info on there somewhere, make sure you include it again right there with your call to action. And make it big and bold. This holds true whether it’s a brochure, ad, postcard or whatever. On a Website make sure your Buy Now button is big and obvious. And if you’re going to promote something, send people directly to THAT Webpage and not your home page or a catchall products or services page. Otherwise you force them to search for what they were interested in, and you may lose them in the process. Mistake #6 – Being bland or boring with your marketing. “Corporatespeak” may finally be dying a slow death (at least I hope so), but it’s alive and well in most small business marketing materials. And given that we’re hit with more than 3000 ads a day, boring isn’t going to cut through the clutter and help you stand out from the crowd. Instead be human, interesting, fun, sassy, snappy, whatever. Even if you sell to businesses, you’re still always selling to another person. So don’t feel like you have to stick with a dry, formal, academic tone of voice to be taken seriously. Remember, people buy from people they know, like and trust. So be likeable, not a stick-in-the-mud. If you’re guilty of one or more of these mistakes, don’t despair. Just get to work making your marketing more effective. Fixing even one of these 6 mistakes is sure to catapult your results and help you generate more leads and sales.
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