What? Marketers make mistakes? Surely not! It turns out our mistakes aren’t just limited to typos on copy (although those are common). We’re actually making a ton of mistakes – but here’s how we can stop them.
1. Improper Targeting. This can be especially true of small companies and start-ups, where target groups may not have been defined correctly or may shift as the company matures. Some companies incorrectly believe that their product/service appeals to all, and this is a mistake. No brand can be all things to everyone, and the sooner a marketer defines the target groups, the sooner marketing strategies can be implemented.
The best marketers will tell you that asking the question “Who are your targets” is the most important marketing question. It will define every part of your marketing strategy and tactics. Many companies go beyond defining target groups to fully understanding their customers by implementing buyer personas. Whether you commit to a systematic approach like buyer personas, or simply a top-level understanding and insight into your target groups, targeting is absolutely crucial to any organization’s continued success.
2. Focusing on the Short Term. It’s a common trap to fall into – the immediate need of making a sale versus building trust and establishing a relationship. And this is not unique to marketers; this mindset is often driven from the top in an organization. When we focus on the immediate transaction, marketers are missing out on the potential to build what Mark Organ, CEO of Canadian-based Influitive, describes as a marketer’s secret weapon, a brand advocate: “The most successful marketers are the ones that build advocates and mobilize them.” This can also be described as a “push” mindset, where companies focus more on themselves and less on target-group needs.
3. Jumping on a bandwagon. I admit it: I love a good bandwagon! It’s an occupational hazard. As marketers, we’re often looking for the next big thing. New social media platforms, newest technologies, growth hacking trends, and the next, greatest “gimmick” that gets our brands noticed. Remember QR codes? Around 2010, they were all the rage. There wasn’t a marketer not using them in every printed document. In fact, QR codes became so popular that we would sometimes see a QR code printed on the side of a delivery truck – a wildly impractical method of obtaining traffic to an online source. Yet, despite their ubiquitousness, consumers never really caught on to the convenience of a QR code. In fact, in 2013 hubspot.com found that only 2% of American smart phone users scanned a QR code once per day, and only 21% had ever used one. Marketers need to be diligent about which new trends we support; as good old-fashioned marketing techniques combined with an acceptance of new technology is imperative, particularly when combined with the understanding of your target market.
4. Incorrect expectations of social media. Social media was another hot topic on everyone’s radar some years ago. While social media marketing has long been embraced by marketers, it’s still one of the most misunderstood forms of communication today. As executives continue to ask for a good ROI, many marketers employ a sales-driven strategy on the least sales-focused platforms in digital land.
Just ask Sarah Zeldman, social media training and President of E-Marketing Maven. “Many business owners simply focus on dilemmas such as ‘Where do I click to make a post about what I have to sell’ or ‘How can I use this new social media feature to sell my stuff?’ Businesses must remember that social media is not a machine that is separate from our human experience. Rather, it is an extension of all of our human relationships. It's important for professionals to remember that being successful with social media is really about making a connection with the people who are using social media – the people behind the computers.”
5. Not measuring. This is one of the most common mistakes, and potentially the most damaging. As the old saying goes: “I know half of our marketing is working, but I don’t know which half.” Too many of us have no idea if our marketing dollars are making any actual difference. The solution? Experiment and keep track. There are great tools available, particularly for online marketing, which can easily show tangible results. And once you find out that something works, keep doing it.
This list is based on our own insights and opinions, so feel free to contradict me at nevans@canadianmarketer.ca. We at the Canadian Association of Marketing Professionals (CAMP) would love to hear more about what you think your marketing team is doing right (or wrong).
