When it comes to marketing strategies, the options available may seem endless. There are more than a few options and ways to market your business, from traditional advertisements with catchy slogans to viral videos and social media. While this is true, you must remain aware of the trends to ensure you achieve success with your business’s marketing campaign. However, knowing what to do isn’t enough. When it comes to marketing, you also need to know what tactics you should avoid. From spam emails to making a scam risk call, keep reading for some of the top marketing mistakes you should avoid making.  

Mistake: Trying to “Wing” It

When it comes to marketing tactics, you should avoid, not being prepared is at the top of the list. If you try to “wing it,” you will wind up doing more harm than good. Also, your business may wind up going down the drain. It is necessary to have some type of digital marketing strategy and plan in place and outlined so you know what you are doing. To build a successful marketing strategy, the first step is to conduct market research, create your buyer personas, and map out the sales cycle you will use. Getting to know who your customer is can help you create a marketing strategy easily and quickly. Be sure you use caution when trying to define your customers. It is not possible to market to everyone out there.

Mistake: Sending Non-Targeted Direct Mail

A staple of most marketing strategies is direct mail. However, it has somewhat lost its luster in recent years. This isn’t because anything has changed about how these campaigns are handled, but because the world has since changed and made this form of marketing obsolete. Non-targeted direct mail, along with targeted direct mail, is somewhat of a shot in the dark. The idea that sending out thousands of letters on the chance that a small percentage will result in a sale may have been viable in the past; however, it no longer proves effective today. The issue is that in the age of interactive marketing and social media, the fact that someone receives a direct mailing may wind up working against the company that sent it out. Today, companies want targeted marketing, but they also want to feel like it is relevant to them.

Mistake: Running Ads on TV

Did you know that more and more people are ditching traditional cable TV? In fact, younger audiences have cut the cord, opting for streaming platforms, such as YouTube, Netflix, and Hulu, to help reduce the ads that continually interrupt their favorite show. Instead of spending your marketing dollars on television ads, consider using remarketing ads. This is one of the best marketing tactics available today. Remarketing is very specific, and the advertising is targeted to the customers who have already visited your site. It is offered in many forms, such as banner ads on Facebook, Instagram ads, and automated emails for abandoned carts. One of the most effective ways to get customers to come back to continue the checkout process is with an abandoned cart email. You can automate these, so they send independently. You can also use a ready-made template with a pre-designed CTA that encourages people to come back and complete their orders.

Mistake: Spamming

As mentioned above, no one likes junk mail. This is not just true with direct mail; it applies to emails, as well. You have to find ways to attract and keep the attention of your customers. If you bombard them with unsolicited or unwanted emails, you are hurting your company’s reputation. If you have to email someone, be sure that you do this once a month or less. By making emails scarce, it will increase the likelihood that your customers are going to open them. It will also help them avoid the frustration that goes along with filtering through products they are not interested in buying.

Mistake: Radio Advertising 

The number of people who listen to the radio is steadily falling. Customers are now consuming their music in new ways, which means radio is considered old-fashioned and outdated. This doesn’t mean that no one is listening to the radio; however, marketing returns on this medium are low. One of the main reasons for this is because radio is non-interactive marketing. Most people now distrust marketing methods that talk at them with no option for a response.

Mistake: Paying for Billboards 

Billboards are considered one of the most expensive types of marketing tactics. While this is true, they don’t provide the high returns that you would expect. They are especially expensive if you have to hire someone to design the ad, as well. There is no way to determine how many customers interact with your billboard. People are probably going to be driving down the road when they see your billboard. There’s no way for them to record your information if they have two hands on the wheel (like they should). If someone is multitasking, they have to stop to focus on one thing at a time. You should never make a possible customer do more than one thing at a time. You want to ensure you have their full, uninterrupted attention if your end goal is to get them to convert. Rather than overspending on billboards, consider using banner ads. These are also called display ads and can be created through your Google Ads account. With this advertising method, you can run your ad on a specific host website. Users who travel to that site will see your banner ad. If they click on the ad, they will then be sent to your website.

When it comes to marketing mistakes, there are more than a few that you may be making. Make sure you review the information here so you know what some of the most egregious mistakes are and avoid them at all costs. If you want to make the most of your business’s marketing budget, you have to invest in the right marketing methods.