Top 5 Mistakes Made in Marketing

Top 5 Mistakes Made in Marketing
By Laura Lake, About.com Guide
http://marketing.about.com

A properly developed marketing campaign can not only connect you with the right prospects, but it gets everyone talking about your company, your product, or your service. However, marketing mistakes can just as easily cost your business thousands of dollars. Here is a checklist of 5 mistakes commonly made in marketing.

1. Lack of Research and Testing

Research and testing should be done to determine the performance of every marketing effort. This takes the guesswork out of what your potential customer or client wants. Always make sure you have done your due diligence when it comes to testing different offers, prices, and packages. Get the input of your customers.

2. Improper Focus and Positioning

Don't market to build up the company, but approach marketing to demand an immediate response from the recipient. Improper focus and positioning can be avoided by following the proper solution positioning of marketing.

3. Marketing without a USP

Your USP is your unique selling proposition. It is the one single statement that will single you out amongst the competition. It should be used in every piece of marketing material. Think of your USP as the philosophical foundation of your business. Don't market without it!

4. Failing to Capture Repeat Customers

Keep in mind that when marketing 80% of your business comes from existing customers and 20% comes from new customers. Failing to resell to your current customer base could have a detrimental effect on your profits. It will cost you 5 times the expense to sell to a new customer than to sell to an existing customer.

5. Lack of Focus on Potential Customer's Needs

Do you really know what your potential customers need and want? If so you are ahead of the ballgame and probably don't need to be reading this article. Truth is very few businesses have a good grasp of what it is that their customer needs from them. The secret to avoiding this common error is to find a need you can fill and then fill that need better than anyone else.