In marketing, like most things in life, success comes only after making mistakes…lots of them. I’ve sure made my fair share of mistakes, and I’ve also learned from others’ mistakes in the market. So, pull up a chair and learn from our mistakes, so you won’t make them.

I caution you though, this isn’t an exhaustive list. Marketing is dynamic and ever-changing, so new marketing mistakes are invented each day. If you notice any of these things happening in your efforts, stop what you’re doing and step back. All of these seemingly innocuous mistakes can prove fatal to your business.

Mistake #1 - Viewing marketing as the silver bullet

To my constant surprise (and chagrin), many folks view marketing as the magic solution to all their business ills. Seeking an immediate turnaround of these fortunes, these business owners place one ad and envision a deluge of phone calls the next day. Folks, it doesn’t happen that way.

Do you know how high the first space rocket from the 1960’s Mercury Space Program flew? 4 inches. Immediately after ignition, the engine malfunctioned and the onboard computers shut the engines down. The rocket descended, a grand total of four inches, back to earth. Did the space program throw in the towel? No. After several more successful (and a few failed) missions, the Mercury program transformed into the Apollo program, which eventually landed humans on the moon—ranking as one of mankind’s ultimate achievements.

In most cases, marketing won’t save a company. It will only start saving it.

Mistake #2 - Lacking follow through

Years ago, one of my clients was the owner of a home-remodeling business. As we developed his company’s marketing plan, we had very productive discussions. He had a good grasp on fundamental strategies and understood how they could translate into marketing success. But, all this momentum ground to a halt when we started implementing the plan. He endlessly nit-picked, he was paralyzed by indecision and couldn’t meet a deadline to save his life.

I quickly realized this was a fellow who liked creating ideas, but had real trouble implementing them. Don’t let this be you. Remember that the best marketing plan in the world is useless sitting on a shelf.

Regularly schedule, in your day-planning system if you have to, one hour a week to implement your plan. During this hour, you could write the first draft of a direct mail letter, conduct some informal research with a prime client, or follow up three proposals using the phone. One hour per week is the bare minimum any company should spend on marketing—1 hour per day if you’re a bigger company.

Mistake #3 - Throw nickels around like they’re manhole covers

Don’t get me wrong—keeping an eye on your budgets is a good marketing habit to get into. But, I’ve seen businesses take this too far. How do you know you’ve gone too far? When:

• You catch yourself always saying “We can’t afford that.”
• Your suppliers refuse to bid on your business.
• Even your financial officer is urging you to spend!

Sure, spending more to upgrade the appearance of your marketing materials may not result in business overnight. But, it may very well communicate a more successful image for your company, resulting in sales and referrals down the road.
So, from time to time, splurge. Use an aqueous coating on your next direct mailing. Hire a graphic designer to freshen up your sales materials. Test a 2-color ad instead of 1-color. Just consider these additional dollars as investments in your marketing bank account.

Mistake #4 - Becoming impatient

These days we expect immediacy. Want to know how your stocks are doing? Pull them up on the Internet. Want to see what I’m looking at? I’ll email you a copy. Need to know what Kevin in Kenya and Carla in Canada think? I’ll conference them in on our call.

In a world like this, is it any wonder we have short attention spans? Yet, successful marketing depends on an approach that’s 180 degrees in the opposite direction. Why? Because marketing is about changing people’s behavior, and this simply doesn’t happen overnight. I’ll give you an example.

Years ago, I lunched with a fellow consultant and told him about my marketing work with growing companies. As we said our goodbyes, he assured me he’d refer business my way. After receiving one of my newsletters months later, he called to let me know he still had me in mind. Months after that, he introduced me to one of his clients, but it led nowhere. More months went by (we’re now 1 ½ years into this) and he introduced me to another client. After several more meetings, a full 2 years later, I finally began work with one of his clients. Today, this company is a valued client of mine.

What’s the lesson here? Stick it out. If I’d given up after year one, I’d have missed out on all those revenues ad referrals.

Mistake #5—Closing your ears to the market

Marketing is about being ‘in the market’ and a crucial part of that is keeping your ears open. Large companies have the resources to conduct massive market research programs. Yet, many small business owners wrongly assume they can’t afford research.

All small businesses can afford market research if they just view it creatively. For example, each of these can be a valuable market research question, worth thousands of dollars, yet costing nothing:

• What does our company do well?
• Where could we improve?
• What more can we do for you?

Periodically ask these questions to a handful of your customers and you’ll be surprised at the goldmine of information you uncover.

Remember…
None of us can avoid all these marketing mistakes. After all, we’re human. But knowing what these mistakes are, and keeping a watchful eye out for them, makes you a better marketer.

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Author Bio

Jay Lipe, aka the “Plan Man”, is the CEO of Emerge Marketing; a firm that helps growing companies improve their marketing. He is the author of the book The Marketing Toolkit for Growing Businesses (Chammerson Press) which is available at major bookstores and online at www.amazon.com. He is also a sought after speaker and seminar leader, and can be reached at (612) 824-4833 or lipe@emergemarketing.com .