Common Advertising Mistakes
Mistake #1 - Not knowing if your advertising is workingThis is by far the biggest error most small business owners make. They just throw advertising in the local paper or on the radio and hope and pray it works. In many cases they have no idea how to track results and adjust their advertising efforts to be more productive.
Mistake #2 - When to advertise
On your first day of business did you advertise? Chances are you had a grand opening, balloons, radio, TV, newspapers, contests and anything else to attract customers to your business. Can you keep this kind of advertising up all year long? Chances are you can't. So when should you advertise? Know your public and buying there cycles
Mistake #3 - Advertising
in the wrong place I listen to 620 WDAE The Sports Animal. Talk radio. So if I love it I'm sure my customers love it too, so that's where I'll advertise. Sound familiar? That logic might be right but generally it isn't. If you are spending your advertising dollars in the wrong place suddenly your advertising is an expense not an investment. GET THE ROI YOU NEED
Mistake #4- Not staying unique
Niche Marketing . The tighter your niche, the better your chances of finding the customers who are looking for exactly what you've got to sell!
Mistake #5 - How you look to your customers
Small businesses seem to throw any kind of advertising out there for customers to find. I'm sure there are several major companies I could show you that you could recognize with just the company colors. Could you recognize a Campbell's Soup Can without the company name? Sure you could. Customers, over time, begin to feel comfortable with the look and feel of your advertising. That's Branding - knowing what your business image is and how you want it portrayed
Mistake #6 - Poorly planned promotions and events
Say you wanted to have a 4th of july community retirement investment meeting. That might be a mistake here in Tampa Bay area do to 65% are snow birds
Mistake #7 - Forgetting the folks who got you there
Many business spend so much time trying to attract new customers that they forget the loyal customers who made them successful. I'm sure you've all heard that it takes six times as much to attract a new customer than it does to keep an existing one.
Mistake #8 - Listening to the wrong people
When it comes to advertising everybody is willing to give you advice. And, because you feel that you know so little, you're willing to take everything at face value. Most media salespersons are honest hardworking people. Some, however, are just out to sell you ads. If you think you want to be somewhere they are more than happy to sell you the time or space.
Mistake #9 - Concentration on product features instead of benefits
So many ads I see just talk about what a product has not what it does. No one ever buys a product for the features it has. Do people buy a 1" drill bit because they want the bit? No. They buy it for the 1" hole it will give them. That's the benefit.
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