When you have about a million other things to worry about when running your business, marketing sometimes gets the short end of the stick. Here, we explore the 10 most common marketing mistakes people make and ways to combat them.

1. The 10 Most Common Marketing Pitfalls (and How to Avoid Them)
When you have about a million other things to worry about when running your business, marketing sometimes gets the short end of the stick. Here, we explore the 10 most common marketing mistakes people make and ways to combat them.

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One.
Failing to create a set of goals

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At the beginning of a marketing campaign, it’s easy to aim
for an uptick of any kind: a flock of new customers, general
awareness or simply a well-placed trade article. While
you may ultimately be satisfied with any positive results,
however, don’t fall into the trap of ignoring basic goals.
Think of it like trying to navigate an unfamiliar city without
a map: You may be happy with any neighborhood you
stumble into, but you’ll never find the serious treats until
you know where you’re going.
Writing down a list of specific goals not only helps you
focus your business, but it also allows you to target your
efforts to specific results. For instance, a campaign that
strives to promote brand awareness will often function
very differently than a campaign that aims to increase web
sales by 10 percent. Know what you want to achieve within
six months, one year and five years, and then tailor your
plans to each milestone.

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Two.
Going forward without a solid
plan

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Of course, knowing what you want to achieve is only a
fraction of the battle. We call this pitfall the Bouillabaisse
Syndrome: A hodgepodge of items is often delicious,
but one wrong ingredient can ruin the stew. Think of your
marketing plan like a thoughtful recipe; the results may
seem effortless to an outsider, but the process is actually
tightly controlled.
Once you’ve mapped out your goals, populate each list
item with the specific strategies that will lead the charge.
This is also crucial for determining the tone of your
marketing. Will you be educational or entertaining? Will
your collateral feel cutting edge or traditional? Design your
marketing recipe, and hold your focus; it’ll be your no-nonsense
guide through the entire campaign.

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Three.
Forgoing research for gut
feelings

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While small business marketing certainly demands a fair
share of guesswork, resist the temptation to base your
plans entirely on hunches. Making assumptions about
audience reaction and outcome tends to lead even the
most seasoned professionals astray, and it’s difficult
to bounce back when you don’t have solid research to
support where you might have gone wrong. Before you
begin mapping out your plan, dedicate a considerable
amount of time to researching everything you can about
audience demographics, price structures and competition.
You may still make a few decisions based on that gut
feeling, but you’ll find that an informed choice is almost
always preferable to a blind assumption.

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Four.
Positioning your brand
awkwardly

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We’ve all seen this pitfall in action: a lawn-care service
trying desperately to be hip, for instance, or a colorful
clothing store with no personality.
Though it’s ultimately up to you to choose the right voice
for your brand, make sure you’re basing that decision
on the reality of your customers. Who are they? Where
do they work? What sort of activities populate their daily
lives? If your product is most useful to 40-year-old men,
don’t pepper your marketing with teenage lingo. Apple
knows that creative professionals are among their best
customers, for instance, so they create campaigns that
speak directly to that audience. Be aspirational, but don’t
wander into fantasy land; an awkward brand identity will
just decrease customer loyalty from the people you want
most.

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Five.
Staying firmly inside the box

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Small business advertising is always tricky, but this is
especially true if you’re working with a limited budget.
On one hand, you want to create moments that will
truly drive engagement. On the other, you don’t want
to go all in on a cutting-edge concept that could eat
up your funds and backfire immediately.
Don’t let that fear keep you from exercising your
creativity; customers are savvier than ever, and they
can smell an been-there-done-that concept from
miles away. Consider Geico’s creative television
spots: The company could’ve easily produced ads
that featured happy families using their services
— after all, it’s worked for other brands — but they
chose an outside-the-box route that’s paid off for
years. Use traditional methods where they’re most
effective, but keep an open mind when it comes to
blue-sky thinking. You’ll never know until you take the
risk.

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Six.
Marketing only to new
customers

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Every business hopes for an influx of new sales, but
focusing only on the clients you don’t have is a surefire
way to annihilate your customer loyalty. That’s why so
many successful companies feature loyalty programs: to
reward repeat business with a series of members-only
perks and exclusive delights. What’s more, this is actually
a fantastic way to lure new customers in the first place;
satisfied clients are more likely to tell their friends about
your business, and a creative loyalty program can pique
audience interest entirely on its own.
Keep an eye on the future, but tend to your loyal
customers. They’ll be the ones who keep your company
afloat.

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Seven.
Muddying your message with
overwrought creative

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Repeat after us: Less is more. In order to effectively
communicate with your customers, you need to get right to
the point, and marketing pieces crammed with copy and
images threaten to confuse potential clients.
You can even test this concept on yourself; quickly flip
through a magazine or newspaper, and take note of the
ads that immediately catch your eye. More often than
not, they’ll highlight no more than two messages and will
frequently be surrounded by plenty of negative space. Use
those ads as a guiding light for all your efforts, and enlist
the help of an experienced copywriter and designer if you
need an extra pair of hands.

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Eight.
Using social incorrectly

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Everyone has those friends or family members who can’t
manage to figure out exactly how Twitter works but insist
upon using it anyway. Here’s a word to the wise: Don’t be
the brand version of that person. Social media isn’t just the
province of teenagers anymore; a wide demographic uses
these platforms on a daily basis, and most people expect
a basic level of proficiency from every company they
encounter.
Disregarding best practices and site-specific etiquette
does more to damage your credibility than you might
assume, and it can actively encourage disengagement.
Brush up on your social skills before you dive in, or get a
savvy team member to handle the online duties if you’re
feeling unsure about what to post where.

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Nine.
Expecting immediate
gratification

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When it comes to marketing, it’s all about the long
game. While it’s definitely frustrating not to see results
immediately, understand that big-picture campaigns can
take a little time to reach their full impact. Measure your
successes by the small wins, and don’t hastily switch
tactics before you’ve seen the full result. You always want
to be measuring the efficiency of your strategies, but not
becoming a household name within two months isn’t a
solid justification for completely switching gears.

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Ten.
Not differentiating yourself from
the competition

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This is among the toughest pitfalls to avoid,
and nearly every small business has stumbled
into it on some scale. In fact, many marketing
consultants focus entirely on this dilemma: what
to do when your company has become more of
the same. If you’re creating an alternative to a
well-established product or service, be careful
not to position yourself as a carbon copy.
Customers need a reason to choose you over
the other guy, and simply being the new kid on
the block won’t cut it. Analyze your competition
from every angle — pricing, marketing and
brand positioning are great places to start —
and then spend some time examining how you
could pitch yourself differently. Coke and Pepsi,
for instance, have been playing this game
for years, and neither brand has ever won by
trying to imitate the other. What works for the
competition won’t always work for you; it’ll likely
just keep working for the competition.

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And of course, here is our shameful plug: we at FiveStars
can help you create a fully customized rewards program.
Your customers can sign up with just their phone number,
and it runs right on your POS. We work with you to set up
automated marketing and promotions campaigns using
the data we help you collect, including incentives to bring
back lapsed customers and special rewards on birthdays.
Setting up your customer engagement and retention with
FiveStars allows you to sit back and relax; we do all the
work for you.
Learn more about us at fivestars.com.