5 Things Marketing May Forget
http://www.marketingarticles.com/5-Things-Marketing-May-Forget/a10430_1
Joshua Hays
By Joshua Hays
Published on 04/10/2009
In this article I list 5 things that are commonly forgotten by most marketing professionals.
5 Things Marketing May Forget - Page 2 of 2
3 - DO NOT stalk your clients. Businesses have started to take advantage of social networking and some have seen great success. These tools can enhance your business or even help to sink it. Time and time again I have seen businesses stalk their clients with Twitter, LinkedIn, Myspace or Facebook. Twitter is the worst of them - DO NOT use this as just an advertising tool. Twitter is a perfect opportunity to give your 'followers' an inside look at the company they do business with. First, offer an incentive to get them to follow you by advertising weekly specials exclusively for Twitter followers. After that, give them the inside look I suggested. Have the Director of Marketing use it and make updates like "We are finalizing the new logo - it's HOT!" or "Just received approvals on the new whatever designs, you'll love them!". This is a personal touch the clients would love, just do not stalk them. Social networking should be more personal then it is today, give your clients REASONS to want to be 'friends' and do not spam friend requests. This is not limited to social networking; beware of over-sending surveys or making follow-up calls. Introduce them to your business professionally and have fun with it, they will appreciate the authenticity.
4 - The "Yawn" Factor. Your clients are viewing your website more than you're aware and in some cases, go there to conduct regular business. Time and time again I will visit websites that have not changed in months, sometimes years! This is boring. Update your homepage regularly and offer reasons to return. The simplest thing you can do to get started is to install a blog/news system. You can use this to easily update visitors on company information or introduce new products and services. Depending on the type of clients you serve, I would even suggest using this area to for personalized specials. There are hundreds of things you can do to improve your website bounce ratio (the percentage of people that actually moved to another page from the homepage) but making simple changes like these will offer clients a reason to stay awake while visiting your website.
5 - Keep it simple. Carefully review your marketing and advertising collateral regularly. While big words sound professional, most people will not understand them and may miss the entire message. When producing information a client may receive, keep it simple. The only people you will really impress with fancy words or phrases are your colleagues. This guideline is typically overlooked when a company introduces a product or service and names it something like "Dynamic Synergetic Resource File" - who in their right mind would know what that means?! When naming a new and exciting product, keep it simple and always remember that what sounds cool may not actually be cool. The worst thing you can do is confuse your clients or make them feel inferior.
The best way to really learn how you can make things better is to learn your competition. For example - if you are the Direct of Marketing at a local bank, I suggest you open a checking and savings account with a direct competitor. Open a PERSONAL account with your own money so that you will FEEL what it is that you like or dislike as a consumer. Go to the different branches and see what they do to earn your business and keep it there. This will give you a unique view from the inside and allow for you to improve upon the efforts you put into marketing. I highly suggest getting to know the competition personally, and never think that you've got it perfect because someone else has most likely already stepped it up a notch. In marketing, you have to always be growing.
Joshua Hays is an aggressive marketing consultant with a strong background in design and nearly ten years of broad experience involving both B2B and B2C marketing techniques including print and online campaigns. He has advanced knowledge of both the Microsoft and Adobe software suites and is cross-platform, multi-operating system (MAC & PC) trained. Joshua specializes in product and campaign development and is a self-proclaimed marketing extraordinaire. Joshua Hays can be reached at www.joshuahays.com.
4 - The "Yawn" Factor. Your clients are viewing your website more than you're aware and in some cases, go there to conduct regular business. Time and time again I will visit websites that have not changed in months, sometimes years! This is boring. Update your homepage regularly and offer reasons to return. The simplest thing you can do to get started is to install a blog/news system. You can use this to easily update visitors on company information or introduce new products and services. Depending on the type of clients you serve, I would even suggest using this area to for personalized specials. There are hundreds of things you can do to improve your website bounce ratio (the percentage of people that actually moved to another page from the homepage) but making simple changes like these will offer clients a reason to stay awake while visiting your website.
5 - Keep it simple. Carefully review your marketing and advertising collateral regularly. While big words sound professional, most people will not understand them and may miss the entire message. When producing information a client may receive, keep it simple. The only people you will really impress with fancy words or phrases are your colleagues. This guideline is typically overlooked when a company introduces a product or service and names it something like "Dynamic Synergetic Resource File" - who in their right mind would know what that means?! When naming a new and exciting product, keep it simple and always remember that what sounds cool may not actually be cool. The worst thing you can do is confuse your clients or make them feel inferior.
The best way to really learn how you can make things better is to learn your competition. For example - if you are the Direct of Marketing at a local bank, I suggest you open a checking and savings account with a direct competitor. Open a PERSONAL account with your own money so that you will FEEL what it is that you like or dislike as a consumer. Go to the different branches and see what they do to earn your business and keep it there. This will give you a unique view from the inside and allow for you to improve upon the efforts you put into marketing. I highly suggest getting to know the competition personally, and never think that you've got it perfect because someone else has most likely already stepped it up a notch. In marketing, you have to always be growing.
Joshua Hays is an aggressive marketing consultant with a strong background in design and nearly ten years of broad experience involving both B2B and B2C marketing techniques including print and online campaigns. He has advanced knowledge of both the Microsoft and Adobe software suites and is cross-platform, multi-operating system (MAC & PC) trained. Joshua specializes in product and campaign development and is a self-proclaimed marketing extraordinaire. Joshua Hays can be reached at www.joshuahays.com.
5 Things Marketing May Forget - Page 2 of 2
3 - DO NOT stalk your clients. Businesses have started to take advantage of social networking and some have seen great success. These tools can enhance your business or even help to sink it. Time and time again I have seen businesses stalk their clients with Twitter, LinkedIn, Myspace or Facebook. Twitter is the worst of them - DO NOT use this as just an advertising tool. Twitter is a perfect opportunity to give your 'followers' an inside look at the company they do business with. First, offer an incentive to get them to follow you by advertising weekly specials exclusively for Twitter followers. After that, give them the inside look I suggested. Have the Director of Marketing use it and make updates like "We are finalizing the new logo - it's HOT!" or "Just received approvals on the new whatever designs, you'll love them!". This is a personal touch the clients would love, just do not stalk them. Social networking should be more personal then it is today, give your clients REASONS to want to be 'friends' and do not spam friend requests. This is not limited to social networking; beware of over-sending surveys or making follow-up calls. Introduce them to your business professionally and have fun with it, they will appreciate the authenticity.
4 - The "Yawn" Factor. Your clients are viewing your website more than you're aware and in some cases, go there to conduct regular business. Time and time again I will visit websites that have not changed in months, sometimes years! This is boring. Update your homepage regularly and offer reasons to return. The simplest thing you can do to get started is to install a blog/news system. You can use this to easily update visitors on company information or introduce new products and services. Depending on the type of clients you serve, I would even suggest using this area to for personalized specials. There are hundreds of things you can do to improve your website bounce ratio (the percentage of people that actually moved to another page from the homepage) but making simple changes like these will offer clients a reason to stay awake while visiting your website.
5 - Keep it simple. Carefully review your marketing and advertising collateral regularly. While big words sound professional, most people will not understand them and may miss the entire message. When producing information a client may receive, keep it simple. The only people you will really impress with fancy words or phrases are your colleagues. This guideline is typically overlooked when a company introduces a product or service and names it something like "Dynamic Synergetic Resource File" - who in their right mind would know what that means?! When naming a new and exciting product, keep it simple and always remember that what sounds cool may not actually be cool. The worst thing you can do is confuse your clients or make them feel inferior.
The best way to really learn how you can make things better is to learn your competition. For example - if you are the Direct of Marketing at a local bank, I suggest you open a checking and savings account with a direct competitor. Open a PERSONAL account with your own money so that you will FEEL what it is that you like or dislike as a consumer. Go to the different branches and see what they do to earn your business and keep it there. This will give you a unique view from the inside and allow for you to improve upon the efforts you put into marketing. I highly suggest getting to know the competition personally, and never think that you've got it perfect because someone else has most likely already stepped it up a notch. In marketing, you have to always be growing.
Joshua Hays is an aggressive marketing consultant with a strong background in design and nearly ten years of broad experience involving both B2B and B2C marketing techniques including print and online campaigns. He has advanced knowledge of both the Microsoft and Adobe software suites and is cross-platform, multi-operating system (MAC & PC) trained. Joshua specializes in product and campaign development and is a self-proclaimed marketing extraordinaire. Joshua Hays can be reached at www.joshuahays.com.
4 - The "Yawn" Factor. Your clients are viewing your website more than you're aware and in some cases, go there to conduct regular business. Time and time again I will visit websites that have not changed in months, sometimes years! This is boring. Update your homepage regularly and offer reasons to return. The simplest thing you can do to get started is to install a blog/news system. You can use this to easily update visitors on company information or introduce new products and services. Depending on the type of clients you serve, I would even suggest using this area to for personalized specials. There are hundreds of things you can do to improve your website bounce ratio (the percentage of people that actually moved to another page from the homepage) but making simple changes like these will offer clients a reason to stay awake while visiting your website.
5 - Keep it simple. Carefully review your marketing and advertising collateral regularly. While big words sound professional, most people will not understand them and may miss the entire message. When producing information a client may receive, keep it simple. The only people you will really impress with fancy words or phrases are your colleagues. This guideline is typically overlooked when a company introduces a product or service and names it something like "Dynamic Synergetic Resource File" - who in their right mind would know what that means?! When naming a new and exciting product, keep it simple and always remember that what sounds cool may not actually be cool. The worst thing you can do is confuse your clients or make them feel inferior.
The best way to really learn how you can make things better is to learn your competition. For example - if you are the Direct of Marketing at a local bank, I suggest you open a checking and savings account with a direct competitor. Open a PERSONAL account with your own money so that you will FEEL what it is that you like or dislike as a consumer. Go to the different branches and see what they do to earn your business and keep it there. This will give you a unique view from the inside and allow for you to improve upon the efforts you put into marketing. I highly suggest getting to know the competition personally, and never think that you've got it perfect because someone else has most likely already stepped it up a notch. In marketing, you have to always be growing.
Joshua Hays is an aggressive marketing consultant with a strong background in design and nearly ten years of broad experience involving both B2B and B2C marketing techniques including print and online campaigns. He has advanced knowledge of both the Microsoft and Adobe software suites and is cross-platform, multi-operating system (MAC & PC) trained. Joshua specializes in product and campaign development and is a self-proclaimed marketing extraordinaire. Joshua Hays can be reached at www.joshuahays.com.