Are You Flushing Thousands of Dollars Down The Drain By Not Following Every One?


In my daily copywriting and marketing consulting experience, I notice that companies of all sizes and across all industries make the same mistakes.

So I've compiled a list of the "Top Ten" errors you should avoid to maximize every last one of your marketing dollars.


BE DIFFERENT

What separates you from your competitors? How does your company or product stand out? What makes you different—unique? Why should clients/consumers pick you? What are the advantages of picking you over your competition?

Too often, in today's marketing climate, companies feel they need to "fit in." It's almost like there's a "standard format" set by the "giants" and copied by all the little guys. Most companies fear going too far astray from this format. But this is a huge and basic mistake.

Good marketing means creating a differentiation strategy that allows you to stand apart in your consumer's mind. Forget fitting in, you want to stand out as much as possible, especially in today's competitive market.

Keep in mind that what makes you stand out isn't necessarily product related. Differentiation can stem from leadership, unique experience, quality, pricing, features, service, manufacturing, and so on. It might even be a snappy slogan that sticks in the mind.

Exactly what makes you different—what makes you better—should constitute the core of your marketing campaign. Once you've got it, flaunt it throughout your content (copywriting) and imagery (logos/photos). Repeat it everywhere and all the time—on your website, in all your brochures and direct mail letters.


REMEMBER THAT "PERCEPTION IS REALITY…ALL ELSE IS ILLUSION"

Too often, marketers and advertisers feel they need facts regarding a product or service in order to "position themselves" in the market or "create the right brand image." Is our product "the best"—they wonder? Which company is the "biggest"? The greater a company or product, the easier their job will be to market it—or so they think.

But the fact is: All marketing is an illusion…there is no objective reality. There are no immutable facts. There are no best products. There's only perception in the minds of the consumers. Good marketers sell mediocre brands as well as they sell top brands.


DON’T SCREAM TOO LOUDLY—OR CARRY A SMALL STICK

Do you talk a big game in your ads or on your website, but have little or no evidence to back it up? Can you prove to your prospects what your marketing says is true—at the moment when they're reading it and deciding to buy from you?

This is critically important.

Consumers aren't idiots—they're just as savvy as you. Like you they grew up bombarded by advertising and marketing pitches. And they react with the same skepticism as you to all the hyped-up claims: "Yea, sure!"

"Lose weight faster!"—Yeah, Sure! "Earn $25,000 a month!"—Yeah, Sure!

Is "Yea, Sure!" how people react to your song and dance? The best way to stop this is by supporting your assertions with powerful proof. Your claims and your proof should be joined at the hip. Talk is cheap. You have to demonstrate your difference. Make it real and believable. Testimonials, testing results, visual evidence—all of this goes a long way in proving your words true.

Claims of superiority, of legendary service, of unimaginable quality are…without proof…just claims.


POSITION YOURSELF—AND YOUR COMPETITION—PROPERLY

Have you strategically positioned not just yourself but your competition also?

This sounds impossible, but it's not. In 1962 the car rental company AVIS introduced their "We Try Harder" slogan, launching an attack against HERTZ, the industry goliath. At the time, AVIS was unprofitable, pulling in only 11% of the car rental business in the U.S. But one year later, AVIS was making a profit. And by 1966 AVIS had tripled its market share to 35%. AVIS brilliantly positioned itself against HERTZ, the industry leader. At the same time, they repositioned HERTZ, making the giant look too big for its own good!

Are you utilizing every aspect of your communications to explain to your target market why not just to choose you—but why not to choose the alternative to you? Are your ads, brochures, websites, direct mail letters, and sales presentations constantly and consistently getting your edge across? Are you focused on waging competitive warfare in the battleground of your prospects' minds, where marketing messages are safely stored?


SPEAK DIRECTLY TO YOUR TARGET MARKET

Before embarking on a marketing campaign, and even before scripting a small ad, think about what you're selling and who will buy it. Then, make sure you speak directly to your prospects—as if you were sitting down next to them in a bar. Talk to them, and only to them.

Too often, experienced marketers and advertisers feel they need to be weird, sexy, colorful or bold to make sure the whole world pays attention. The wider the net they cast, the better chance they have selling to more people. So they think.

In reality, you can't be all things to all people. When you try to be everything to everybody, your message gets diluted and you end-up being nothing to nobody. Pick out your prospects. Pinpoint your message. Talk to them individually. And forget everyone else. People who aren't within that target won't buy anyway, regardless of what you say.

If you're shopping for a car, you'll pay attention to the car commercials, right? You'll hear the radio spots for cars, and see the print ads too, no? But if you're not in the market for a car you'll tune all that stuff out—either consciously (by changing the dial) or unconsciously (by not listening).

No matter where you advertise, there will inevitably be some percentage of people who will not be prospects for what you're selling. So target your messages only to qualified prospects.


KNOW EXACTLY WHAT YOU’RE REALLY SELLING

Do you know exactly what you're really selling? Sounds like a ridiculous question, right? Not so fast. Plenty of companies have no idea what the heck they're selling. They're unable to see through the consumer's eyes.

Airlines don't sell tickets, but dream-come-true travel destinations. Fertilizer companies don't sell compost, but greener lawns. Does Disney World just sell rides? Does Mercedes just sell cars? What are your consumers really seeking when searching for your products or services?

An old marketing expression teaches us to "Sell the sizzle, not the steak." Nobody is going to buy your product based on technical descriptions. They want to know how it's going to make their lives better, easier, safer, happier. When you sell, it's imperative to know what dream your customer is looking to fulfill. Like this you can deliver that dream through your marketing and advertising.


DON’T INFRINGE ON YOUR COMPETITOR IDEAS

Don't steal marketing themes from competitors. It won't work and it might make you weaker not stronger. Here's an example.

What first comes to mind when you think of the car company Volvo?

For most people, it's "safety," and that's no accident. In 1927 the company's founder committed to this idea. Today, Volvo owns the concept of "automotive safety" in the minds of the masses. They've even evolved the "safety" idea, by instituting and describing in their marketing their quest for "preventative" safety, like testing airbags, model designs, crumple zones, and so on.

Other manufacturers have tried—but failed—to pinch it. The best thing to do, many now recognize, is to let Volvo have it and come up with something new. You too can chalk this up as a lesson to the power of successful marketing. Find your own differentiating principle. Stealing doesn't work.


DON’T PUT OUT UNINTELLIGIBLE ADS, COMMERCIALS & MARKETING MATERIALS

Do you accurately advertise your products and services? And in such a way that grabs your target market's attention, never letting go? Are you quick to explain what the benefits of choosing you are? Using no-nonsense down-to-earth language that your consumers can understand and relate to?
How often are you entertained by a magazine, newspaper or TV ad, but couldn't figure out who was selling what?

This is a classic example of why you should shun the big NYC marketing firms. They've lost their heads. They spend millions of dollars entertaining…and in the end we usually don't remember the product they advertise. Advertising's job is "to command public attention for the purpose of selling something." Not to entertain and not even to inform. The most important job of advertising is…to sell.


DON’T HAVE BORING, INCOMPREHENSIBLE & UNNAVIGABLE WEBSITES

Most people stay no longer than six seconds on a website. Most websites present a confusing array of ideas, fonts, photos and text. What a mistake! "Keep it simple stupid," or so the marketing slogan goes.

And simple doesn't have to mean few words. (In fact, all the retired copywriting greats teach us that a longer message usually outsells a shorter one.) Keeping it "simple" means presenting one thought at a time and then moving onto the next thought, such that your message "flows" in the mind of the reader. Make the copy so irresistible that it's easier to continue reading than it is to click away. Sounds easy, but it's not.

This is your site's first and foremost job. And it can be accomplished by eliciting and then tapping customer emotions. People buy on emotion and then justify their purchases with logic. So the most effective marketing is marketing designed to capture the spirit, move the soul, and motivate to action by stirring emotions. Are you failing to do this?


SELL A GOSH-DARN-GOOD PRODUCT AND/OR SERVICE

This truth is really very simple. And it’s the first rule of thumb. All the marketing and copywriting in the world can’t help you if your products/services stink. Like an overly-hyped movie that tanks at the box office, word will spread quickly about your less-than-stellar offerings, and it will only be a matter of time before doomsday. So make sure you have a good product or service that is actually worth something to some people. Then worry about marketing it.


About the Author

Richard Cassaro earns his living as a results-driven copywriter, speaker, author and consultant. His carefully tested conversion strategies are proven to boost response. Get his Free Marketing Report at www.maxprofitcopy.com today.