8 THINGS YOUR PROSPECTS HATE ABOUT YOUR MARKETING

There are many things your company could be doing that make your prospects and customers really dislike you, and we wanted to put together a post that covers these areas to help you improve your marketing efforts.

To prevent the loss of business and avoid negative repercussions, consider the following when creating a marketing strategy.

1. YOUR FOCUS GROUP ISN’T FOCUSED

Take a look at your internal group of decision makers. Is it made up entirely of males between the ages of 30-50? There’s nothing wrong with that if your target audience is males, ages 30 to 50, but what if your target group is women ages 20 to 30? Don’t pretend there’s an overlap just because one person on your team is 30. What’s funny or engaging to your group is not likely to be as well-received by another target audience.

Instead, diversify your focus group with others in your office, or seek out diversity of opinions if you can’t find any in-house. It may take extra time to seek out a focus group made up of your target audience, but it will ensure your marketing strategy hits its intended mark.

2. YOUR WEBSITE ISN’T OPTIMIZED

If you advertise to your target audience while they’re on the go, but don’t have a mobile-friendly website, don’t expect your audience to engage. The slower your website loads, the more likely it is that your audience will abandon the site entirely.

If you advertise on the radio, or through a newsletter people can open on their phones, you have to have a mobile-optimized website. If you can’t do it in-house, consider hiring a website designer. The investment to optimize your website for mobile phones will be well worth it in the form of increased clicks, participation, and engagement by your audience.

3. YOU CONFUSE THEM

It’s one thing to use jargon among fellow business professionals, like B2B for business-to-business. It’s even possible to use text-speak with young adults, if done right. However, if you’re using too much jargon, beyond what is reasonably expected for your audience, you’re going to lose their interest.

The same goes for trying to be too clever or not speaking your target audience’s right language. In some industries, it’s easy to use the same language, with new terminology incorporated as technology changes. For other markets, like young adults, it’s more difficult to know when it’s appropriate to use certain terms (what is “in” and what is “out”).

A good way to determine if your language is on par with your market is by following social media. Identify your target audience then follow the most active users on Twitter, Google+, or Facebook. You can identify your top influencers by using hashtags (#hashtag your company name) or searching for your company on Google+. By seeing how they interact with your brand and with similar companies, and the language they use, you can tailor your marketing strategy in a way that communicates with them and not at them.

4. YOU’RE UNORIGINAL

You hear it all the time, on TV and radio commercials, even on website ads – “now’s the time to buy! Don’t miss this sale! Going fast, last chance on this deal!” These types of marketing strategies could be used in any industry, and if you can’t tell what is being sold, neither can your customers. Don’t fall into repetitive abyss and let your message get tuned out.

Instead, personalize your marketing strategy to make it stand out to your customers. If you’re having a big sale, mention it, but give it some meaning. Why should your customers listen to your ad, and why do they need what you’re selling? Think of ways to make your ad stand out from the generic “buy now, going fast” ads that everyone else puts out, and make your ad something your customers think twice about when they hear it.

5. YOU DON’T HAVE A CLEAR CALL TO ACTION

Your website is chock full of facts about your product or service, you have a contact form, and you actively engage your followers on social media. But what about your call to action? It’s easy to overlook the importance of a CTA when you have all the most important information online, but you want to encourage your viewers to become customers – and that conversion is what a good CTA will do for your business.

In order to create a great call to action, think about what it is you want your future customers to do right now. Do you want them to sign up for your newsletter, buy an introductory package to your service, or purchase something from your business? Create an engaging reason why they should want something from you, and then make your product irresistible to them by telling them about it. Plaster that CTA around your website – on your landing page, on its own page, and below your contact information.

6. YOUR WEBSITE IS A SCAVENGER HUNT

In your current marketing strategy, are you running a special on your product or service? That’s a great way to generate interest, but look over your website and make sure that special is easy to find. It’s frustrating for consumers to hear or read about a half-price special on your product, only to not find it anywhere on your website. Most viewers are not going to take the time to contact you about the missing special, unless they’re highly motivated for the product.

When advertising a special online or in your newsletter, make sure you include links to your sales page. If you’re directing customers via radio, make sure there are clear directions on your website where to find the discounted product or service. If your service is sold out and demand is high, consider adding a waiting list for customers interested in the product when you have it in stock again. Don’t let a potential consumer get lost on your website – you may not get them back again.

7. YOUR MARKETING OVERSHADOWS YOUR BUSINESS

You’ve tested out your marketing strategy on your focus group, who found it hilarious, your website has a strong CTA, and you’re running a special for your premier product, yet you’re still not converting broadcast listeners into consumers. Before you immediately think the worst about your marketing strategy, listen again to your ad. If you don’t emphasize your company enough, your listeners may miss which company has the funny, engaging advertising spot.

Before running your radio ad, consider adding a little more branding to the spot itself. Make sure listeners understand what the ad is for and why they should remember it. A funny ad is great, but if doesn’t organically tie your product into the ad itself, it’s not the right ad for your business.

8. YOU’RE ALL OVER THE PLACE

Your brand may be ubiquitous: on radio stations, TV, and online ads, generating a lot of name recognition. However, if you’re all over the place with no consistency, you’re wasting your marketing budget. Without a coherent strategy that aligns your marketing efforts with your brand, you will be spinning your wheels trying to drive the right traffic to your company.

If your strategy is inconsistent, consider revamping your marketing to better align it with your brand. A good time to review your strategy is when you update your website, or add another product or service to your company. Whenever there is a big change, take a look at your message to make sure it’s consistent across all mediums. Instead of driving all traffic, you’ll drive traffic that is open to your message and targeted for your company.

While a few of these marketing mistakes won’t completely sink your business, they’ll certainly lose you some customers. While a few customers lost here and there due to a poorly optimized website may not sound like a big deal, these customers and their purchasing power adds up, so consider making a few investments in your business to see long-time rewards.