Rebecca Callahan: 5 Horrifying Marketing Mistakes That Will Send Your Customers Fleeing in Terror

Image courtesy of KROMKRATHOG at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

If and when the Zombie apocalypse finally hits, your main goal will be to keep anyone and everyone away from you, your family, your stockpiles of ammo and food, and your business. But for now, your goal as a business owner or marketer is to draw customers in, not keep them out.

So shouldn’t your marketing efforts be designed to attract current and prospective customers rather than drive them away?

Here are 5 of the biggest marketing mistakes you can make that will send customers screaming from your business and straight into the arms of your competitors.

1. Let your product or service speak for itself.
Gone are the days when a company could just produce a great product and hope for the best. (Come to think of it, those days never actually existed.) With the amount of competition for customers’ attention that exists today, you must get the word out about your particular product and service. There are a multitude of vehicles through which to do this: social media, blogging, free online resources, etc. If you don’t use them, you are wasting prime marketing opportunities.

2. Don’t share your secrets with customers
Some companies, particularly larger companies, don’t like to share their knowledge. While this might work for behemoths such as Google, a small or mid-sized business can’t draw customers in without offering them something of value. Establishing yourself as an expert in your industry will build trust and make people want to pay for your products and services. When they finally reach the bottom of the sales funnel, it will be you that they call.

3. Continue using spammy SEO tactics
If you were hit by Google’s most recent Penguin update, you should already know that your old SEO tactics have to go. Keyword stuffing, paid links, and other such strategies not only tick off Google, but they scream “spam”. Readers can spot the difference between a well-designed website with quality content and one that exists simply to trick Google and rank in the SERPs. Serve your readers well and you will ultimately serve yourself.

4. Poo-poo the need for a blog
Even though this falls under both reasons #1 and #2 above, it is important enough to mention again. A blog is an ideal way to establish credibility, promote your business, and provide your customers with value. All things that will keep them coming back for more.

5. Don’t bother to get to know your customers
Obvious as this may seem, many marketers only get to know their customers (and therefore their audience) on a very superficial level. This can be a recipe for disaster. Understanding your customers’ questions and challenges is the only way to be the company that can provide answers and solutions. And ultimately, that is the key to any marketing success.

Conclusion
If you want to increase your bottom line, the first step is to improve your relationship with current and future customers through effective marketing efforts. Avoiding the mistakes mentioned above can mean the difference between success and apocalyptic failure – not the kind that involves zombies, but disastrous nevertheless.