We all have a few bad habits we wish we could break, and a lot of them happen without us even realizing. Not just physical habits like biting your nails, but mental habits like forgetting to turn off the lights, or always washing your face twice. We have a lot of habits when it comes to our work and businesses as well, from the way that you arrange your workspaces, specific patterns and processes for doing tasks, to the way you react when I say words like "Business Marketing".
Those preconcieved ideas about Marketing and what it entails can sometimes hinder even our best laid plans. Check out
this list from Constant Conctact on Forbes.com of 7 Marketing "Habits" that we sometimes do without even realizing - and how breaking them can actually help your business be more successful in the long run!
1. Thinking of Marketing as a "necessary evil". Not everyone has a background in design, marketing, or social media - but if
you aren't engaged by the message you're sending, your customers won't be either. Use the mediums available to you to build genuine relationships with your customers, whether it's through personalized direct mail, social media, or simple brand recognition.
2. Moving forward without a clear plan. Have you ever left for a long-distance trip without your phone, keys or directions to where you're going? Having just one or two of the things you need doesn't guarantee you'll make it to your destination - you might end up somewhere else entirely, or never get there at all. Marketing strategy helps you make sure all the pieces are in place to give you the outcome you are looking for.
3. Trying to do too much, too often. There is a reason for the expression "too much of a good thing". Your customers probably don't need daily offers in order to keep their attention. If you over-saturate your customers with content, your message will get lost.
4. Treating customers like numbers on a page. Your customers and prospects are more than statistics or figures. Build relationships and communications through your marketing efforts, and you will cultivate an audience where the numbers speak for themselves.
5. Assuming everyone sees things the same way. The article here focuses mostly on online marketing and social media, but there's a point to be made here with print and direct marketing as well. Every person is different, and sometimes it's important to see the "big picture". What might look inviting or engaging to you could be taken in a completely different context by someone else. Be open minded and try to see things in a different way, and you might find a better strategy.
6. Trying to cover all your channels at once. Multichannel marketing campaigns can be wildly successful, but if you're just using them all to say the same things all the time, you are missing out on opportunities to engage specific target markets in a unique way. Cultivate your content for the audience you have in each area, while maintaining your overall brand identity.
7. Expecting overnight success. Not every post you make on social media is going to go viral, and not every joke you tell in your blog will strike a chord. When a campaign isn't as successful as you hoped - or when it does unexpectedly well - it's important to constantly evaluate your strategy and refine your brand image.