Common Marketing Mistakes

You can find plenty of reasons to not advertise. Here are some common excuses for not engaging in an effective, consistent marketing campaign. If you’ve ever used any of these excuses to avoid promoting your business, you may well be missing out on the opportunity to increase your traffic, increase your sales and increase your profits.

1) Everybody already knows me. I don't need to advertise
There are new people moving to town every week, not to mention plenty of visitors. While you may have been on the same corner since 1972 that's meaningless to newcomers who don't know who you are. To be a successful business you need to reach out to new customers on an ongoing basis. Without new customers, even a long-established business will eventually die.

2) I don’t advertise. Word-of-mouth is all I need to bring in business
While Word-of-mouth is great it's also one of the most ineffective forms of advertising there is. You can’t control it, you don’t know what’s being said or to whom. Plus, word-of-mouth is usually negative. Customers who have an acceptable business transaction may tell a friend or family member however those who have a bad experience will tell everyone they know. To rely solely on word-of-mouth as advertising is a serious marketing mistake!

3) Business is great. I don’t need to advertise
That’s great, for now, but what happens when business slows down? Effective advertising keeps potential new customers "in the pipeline."

4) Business is too slow. I can’t afford to advertise
Unfortunately business will stay slow if you don’t. Advertising is nothing more than inviting people to do business with you so if things are slow, you need to be inviting more people to your store through advertising.

5) I tried Radio before and it didn’t work.
There are several reasons this may have happened. If your offer was weak, chances are your results were weak too. People respond to the need, not the ad. Perhaps you advertised on a station that didn’t reach your target demographic or maybe you didn’t have enough frequency to be effective in reaching the customers you want. With the proper plan on the right station radio works!

6) I don’t listen to your stations.
That's fine but many of your customers and potential customers do. Advertising is a lot like fishing - do you bait your hook with what you like, or with what the fish like?

7) I don’t do Radio advertising.
It’s foolish to overlook an entire medium because of some silly preconceived notion. With the right offer and enough frequency, Radio can produce results unmatched by any other media. If you exclude Radio from your marketing plans, you’re missing out on a crucial piece of the advertising puzzle.

8) Nobody ever tells me they hear my Radio ads.
Because people respond to the need, not the ad. If they need a new refrigerator and they hear an ad for an appliance store, they respond by checking out your refrigerator selection and while they're there they might just buy a toaster too!

9) Your rates are too high.
Radio stations charge different rates, based on many factors. A 30-second ad on one station isn't necessarily equivalent to a 30-second ad on another. You can buy a $1 hamburger at Burger King or an $8.00 hamburger at an expensive restaurant. Yes, they're both hamburgers, but you'll notice the difference.

10) I have to talk it over with my....(fill in the blank) wife - partner  -brother - CPA
Let's be honest...Every day you’re not advertising is a missed opportunity to gain more business. While you're procrastinating your competitors are going after all of your customers AND all of the new business too!

11) I don’t have any competition.
Your competition loves the fact that you believe this. It makes it easier for them to take your customers. No matter what you’re selling, you’re competing with every cash register in town, plus online competitors and competitors in nearby towns. Your competitors know this....that's why they advertise. Effective advertising motivates customers to come to your store.