While large corporations may spend the big bucks on marketing, the reality for most businesses is eking out what they can from tight budgets and limited time. This situation leaves little room for costly mistakes.
Since most folks out there promoting something are not marketing communications (marcomm) pros, it can be easy to have misconceptions and make costly errors. Here are some common missteps I’ve seen over my many years as a marcomm pro, and ways to avoid them.
1. There is no amount of marketing that can make up for a bad product
If whatever you are selling can’t sell itself when people learn about it, then there’s no amount of marketing or communications that can make up for that. Ideally, promotional efforts aim to get the word out about something that is already useful, appealing, unique, or interesting.
Often, the first instinct is to put more into marketing when sales are down. But if people are aware of your product but choosing not to buy it, don’t be afraid to do the hard work of reevaluating the product to see if there are changes that might increase sales.
The other thing to consider is that so much of a brand’s reputation is forged via channels outside its control, whether it’s social media, third-party reviews, or word-of-mouth. When the product has problems or doesn’t measure up to the competition, people find out— no matter how glitzy and clever your marketing may be.
2. Don’t confuse a press release with an advertisement
There is usually a lot of passion and excitement behind a promotion, especially when it’s a new product or business. Sometimes the first thing people think of when communicating about something they’re excited about is media coverage. Why not? It’s free publicity, right?
Press releases are the most common way to approach media. Keep in mind these releases are aimed at a very specific audience– reporters, producers, and editors. These journalists are a no-nonsense bunch who do not necessarily share your excitement for your product. They will cover it, however, if they think there is a story of interest to their audience. So, try to get in the shoes of the reporter— someone who doesn’t have the same stake in your product as you do— before putting a lot of time into pitching them.
Many businesses will write releases like an extended sales pitch or advertisement— this is the kiss of death. The minute reporters feel they are reading a sales pitch, they will immediately trash it and maybe add you to their spam list. You may very well have closed off this avenue for future pitches. If your press release reads like a long ad, why not just do an ad then?
It takes a lot of time and sometimes money to get media attention. In the end, even if you successfully get coverage in a wide-reaching media outlet, it probably won’t be as tailored and targeted to your potential customers as an ad or some other direct marketing to them.
In some cases, a press release makes sense, but consider consulting a public relations professional or at least read up on effective ways to approach the media. Muckrack (muckrack.com) has excellent articles and how-to’s on this topic.
3. Don’t neglect your website
Your website is often your first impression on a potential customer. If it’s crappy, your customers may assume you’re a rinky-dink operation, or your business is struggling— either way, not a good look. The website is your evergreen face to the world, and often your primary contact with potential customers— don’t neglect it.
Building and maintaining a decent site doesn’t have to be time-consuming or expensive. There are numerous platforms like Wix, Squarespace and Wordpress that make building a site easy and cheap. Once you have a good site, the next challenge is not ruining it with old posts or outdated information.
4. Be weary of “marketing solutions”
Whether it’s nifty new software, apps, or “special discounted ad opportunities,” there’s a lot of marketing “solutions” and “sales opportunities” out there with all kinds of too-good-to-be-true claims being pitched to businesses. Some of them could help your business, but 9 times out of 10— they won’t. Feel free to ignore all of them because your marketing should be based on a strategy tailored to your business, not what someone else is trying to sell. My earlier post on marketing questions to ask can get you started on a strategy.
5. Don’t fall in love with one medium
Almost everyone has a favorite form of communication, whether it's face-to-face, events, social media, tee-shirts, brochures, or whatever. It is easy to fall in love with one medium because it’s your personal favorite.
Maybe you love Facebook for example, and you can reach all your friends there. But if you own a restaurant that gets most of its customers from passersby, then Facebook may not help much.
The media, channels, or means you use for promoting your business should arise from a solid strategy based on your goals and knowledge of your audience, competition, and other factors. It starts with asking the right questions. Read my earlier post to learn more.
6. Use a multipronged approach
The other problem with falling in love with one form of communication is that effective marketing almost always involves more than one way to reach your customers. If you have a nonprofit that needs local donations of canned goods for example, than you may want to use a combination of fliers, local newspaper and website ads, social media, and a webpage to direct people to for information.
7. Don’t feel you have to put the kitchen sink into your brochure
When using print pieces such as brochures for promotion, think of them as needing slightly more detail than an ad, but not too much detail. The goal with a brochure or one-sheet is to give the target audience just enough information to get them to take further action. If you give them an encyclopedia article instead, you risk bogging down the key messages and turning your print piece into a dead-end. Consider prominently referring to your website for more information.
What to do if you don’t know what you need or where you to start
It’s okay to feel overwhelmed if you are new to marketing and communications (marcomm). There are a lot of articles on the web that can help you, but there are also professionals (like me) that can look at your particular situation and help figure out what works best for you. Port5 Communications can do the research and then put together a comprehensive marcomm plan for your business. This is not yet-another one-size-fits-all marketing solution. This is a plan tailored to you. Fill out the contact form on this site, and I’ll promptly get back to you to discuss how I can help.