3 big marketing mistakes I’m sick of seeing

Marketing mistakes: We’ve all made them. But, there are a few surprising ones that I’ve noticed people making again and again. Today I’m looking at 3 big marketing mistakes, in the hope that you can avoid making them yourself. I think you might find them a little bit surprising – and probably not what you expected at all.

 

 

3 big marketing mistakes I'm sick of seeing

We’ve all made mistakes when it comes to marketing our businesses, but there are a few surprising ones that I’ve noticed people making again and again. Today, I’m looking at three of those marketing mistakes in the hope that you can avoid making them yourself. I think you might find them a little bit surprising, and they’re probably not what you expected at all.

Marketing Mistake #1: Focusing on the vanity metrics

Likes and followers – they’re a nice little ego boost but, honestly, they’re nothing more than a vanity metric. You can have 100,000 followers, but still be making $0 in revenue. So, instead of focusing on growing your following or getting more likes, you should be spending this time trying to get actual paying customers or clients and turning them into brand advocates. Just because somebody follows your account doesn’t mean that they’re actually interested and willing to pay for whatever it is that you sell. By trying to get paying customers and clients, you’ll find that your following will naturally start to grow by itself.

And, honestly, even if you’re looking at your number of website visitors, this is also a vanity metric. What matters — what really, truly matters — is how to convert website visitors into paying customers or clients.

Marketing Mistake #2: Not believing in your own product or service

If you don’t believe in what you sell, you’re going to have a tough time convincing others to buy it or work with you. And, you’re going to feel pretty icky about selling to people — especially if you’re not confident that it can solve their problem or that your product will actually deliver. There isn’t a quick fix for this one. But, if you don’t believe in your product or service, maybe ask yourself “why?”

Why don’t you believe in your product or your service? Is it because you don’t back yourself? Or, is there something fundamentally wrong with whatever it is that you’re selling? If it’s just a case of imposter syndrome or pure self-doubt, I recently shared some tips for dealing with self-doubt in your business. But, if there’s something fundamentally wrong, I want you to think about how you can fix your product or service. Or, maybe you just need to scrap it all together and start again. Only you can answer this.

Marketing Mistake #3: Ignoring what happens post-purchase

Once someone becomes a paying customer or client, business owners will often just forget about them all together. Sure, the goal was to get them to buy from you, and you’ve achieved it, but once they’ve bought, this is your opportunity to make them a customer for life. You have the power to turn them into a brand advocate. After all, word of mouth is such a powerful form of free marketing, so you really want to make the most of it.

This is the part of the buyer journey where you can surprise and delight your customers or clients. Things like handwritten notes with their orders or free sample-sized products. Or, if you have a service-based business, things like Christmas cards and thank-you gifts – these all go a long way. Make sure you also have some sort of incentive for them to share on social media and maybe if you have a referral program or a loyalty program just to incentivize them to tell their friends.

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