One of the biggest mistakes business owners make when advertising is they copy what everyone else is doing.
Even now, during the whole coronavirus thing, I see a lot of businesses doing "copycat marketing."
How do you know the stuff you're copying is any good? You don't.
So instead of blindly copying, follow these suggestions:
1. Become a student of direct response marketing (marketing that requires your audience to take some kind of action). This is different that "image marketing" or institutional marketing -- the kind of advertising you see on TV. For the most part, that's for much larger companies that have virtually unlimited marketing budgets. Instead, you should focus on marketing and advertising that allow you to measure the ROI of your dollars.
2. Follow the advice and strategies I share with you. I have over 30 years of experience in marketing, advertising and PR and have trained literally thousands of small business owners. I'm not saying I'm the only person who can give you solid advice, but I'm saying that not everyone who claims that they are an "expert" really is one.
3. Test your ads/marketing strategies before running them on a large scale. A small test can save you a lot of time and money. I've created and critiqued video ads, google ads, Facebook ads, web promos, direct mail pieces, postcard promos and basically every type of advertising out there. Many of these campaigns fail because the business owner didn't test on a small scale before rolling out all their marketing dollars in one big
blast.
4. Find a marketing coach or mentor. This is invaluable. In almost everything we do in life or business, we try to find someone who has demonstrated expertise to follow their advice. Selling your home? You hire a Realtor. Buying stocks? You consult a stockbroker. Need a mortgage? You call an mortgage broker. And so forth. Yet, for some reason, many people feel that when it comes to promoting their business, they have all the expertise
needed to do it themselves. Like any other specialized business, it takes skill and many years of experience to know where, when and how to market. It's both a science AND art form. Those who are seasoned professionals with proven track records give you the best chance at success.
That's it for now.
If there's any business, marketing, advertising or PR topic you'd like me to cover, please let me know.
In the meantime, stay safe. Until next time...
And, remember, K.I.C. (Keep It Coptic).
