Nothing earth shattering, but good basic guidelines:
10 CAUSES OF MARKETING MOULD
1) Not developing your Unique Selling Point and communicating it
Why did you set up in this business? What can you do better or quicker than
the competition? Why should customers want to buy from you? This is almost
NEVER exclusively about price. Even if your prices are low, it is more
likely to be the variety of products or the speed of delivery that forms
your USP.
2) Not understanding the needs of your target audience
The less money you have to spend on marketing, the more intimately you need
to know them, because you can't afford to waste any of it. Do they already
get your product or service from elsewhere? Are they looking for someone
more reliable/ cheaper/ quicker/ more professional? If they don't already
use your offering, do they understand why they should?
3) Not testing and measuring the effectiveness of your marketing
By testing, you'll have a really clear idea of what your audience responds
to and you'll never waste money. In your copy you should try different
headlines, different PSs, different offers, different guarantees, different
bonuses, until you find the one that gets the best results. Then constantly
try and improve it. Your marketing is always going to have the same fixed
costs, however many leads it generates, so you owe it to your business to
get the best possible return on your investment.
4) Not focusing all your marketing communications on your intended audience
Unless they want or need what you offer, you'll be fighting a losing battle
from the start
5) Not running direct response advertising
You should only EVER put your money into direct response advertising - that
is, a specific offer requiring them to take a certain action in order to
learn more/grab the special deal/whatever the hook is. Advertising to just
make them vaguely aware of your company is a waste, you have to make them
phone/email/visit a website... whatever it is that you want them to do. It
usually takes 7 marketing communications from your company before people
take ANY action at all!
6) Not telling customers the reasons "why"
Why should they buy from you as opposed to someone else? Why will your
products and services meet their needs more effectively? Why are you running
special offers or discounts? Why do you charge for returns? Why is something
free?
7) Not offering a back-end of products and services
One-off sales equal the constant, risky, expensive search for new customers.
By understanding what else your customers buy you can ensure a constant
stream of sales
8) Not making it easy and appealing to do business with you
Although your internal processes are valuable and important to you, if they
make it difficult for customers to buy from you, they are ultimately harming
your business. Do you really need forms filled? Are your special offers too
complicated?
9) Not educating your customer to see the value instead of the price
If you don't relate the benefits, they can only compare price. Sell the
value of your offering in terms of customer benefits.
10) Not developing campaigns that are already working
Don't stop doing anything that works, no matter how bored you are by it. Try
to constantly improve instead
source: www.4networking.biz/networking-articleRead/60