Whether you’re just starting out or have been in business for a while, your success is strongly influenced by the strength of your marketing efforts. People need to understand who you are and what you have to offer before they will even consider buying from you. Finding the right marketing strategy will often involve some trial and error, but if you can avoid these common mistakes, you’ll be ahead way of the game.
Not Defining Your Audience. One of the most common marketing mistakes businesses make is trying to appeal to everyone, throw it at the wall and see what sticks. By understanding and clearly defining your audience, you can focus on their specific challenges and how you resolve them – and maybe find ways to better tailor your product or service to their needs.
Not Focusing on Repeat Business. If your focus is always on attracting new clients, two things will happen: (1) you’ll spend more on your marketing efforts than you need to, and (2) you’ll start losing the clients you already have. Those satisfied clients who have already bought from you are more likely to buy from you again with little marketing effort – but you need to make sure that you keep the conversation going until they are ready to buy. A great way to do this is to periodically send your best customers a “thank you” gift such as a beautifully etched wine bottle and set of glasses), or maybe a gift card. It could be as simple as just calling them on the phone to let them know how much you appreciate their business.
Relying on One Marketing Channel. Too often I see clients that put all their marketing dollars into one basket. Either they focus completely on digital marketing, build their business solely on referrals, or just concentrate on cold-calling sales efforts. The concern with each of these is that marketing techniques change, and people change, so something that worked in the past may not continue to work in the future. Instead, your marketing strategy should incorporate a variety of touch points with your clients and build strong relationships with them
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Inconsistent Branding. Branding requires consistency across all your marketing efforts. Your goal is to have clients and potential clients easily recognize your company when they receive any type of communication. This includes your logo, the colors you use, and, most importantly, your messaging. If your message is not consistent, you will confuse your audience and they will not buy from you.
Ignoring Feedback. Feedback from your clients will help you not only improve your products or services; it may also help you develop new offerings. If you receive negative feedback, the last thing you want to do is ignore it. Instead, try to remedy the situation as best you can – if you can turn the situation around, you’ll have a loyal client that will most likely sing your praises to others simply because you paid attention and were focused solely on them.
Marketing your products or services is a huge undertaking and requires a comprehensive strategy, we would love to help you do just that, please email us to set up a complimentary strategy session. I personally would love to jump on a call with you sales@wearableimaging.com
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