Marketing – easy at first glance but harder to understand and do properly. It isn’t just about advertising goods. You must check if there’s a demand for the products, pick the right time to market them, and make sure most customer experiences are good.
You might be thinking, “I know I’m doing well. I have customers.” That may be true but you might lose them in the long run. Even big companies make marketing mistakes. You can find a few examples below and how to avoid them in the future.
1. Lack of research and testing
Before launching a product campaign, a smart solopreneur must first predict how the product will perform on the market. The best way to do this is to study the demand for goods.
How many people do you expect to buy your brand of honey when there are other competing goods on the market? Failure to understand this will waste your time and money on advertising. Not to mention more money wasted in manufacturing your goods.
2. Improper focus and timing
There is a proper time to launch your marketing campaigns like specific seasons of the year. For example, conducting campaigns for toys or other gift-worthy products during winter is perfect timing because a lot of people will be looking for gifts to give to their loved ones at Christmas.
Out of season campaigns may still drive sales but your earnings won’t be high enough to cover your campaign costs.
3. Forgetting about mobile users
Setting up a domain for your site or store isn’t enough for marketing. You must also understand that like you and me, most people in the world also have smartphones. And we use these devices for more than just calling, texting, or chatting. That means you should make your website mobile-friendly as well.
If your website isn’t dynamic, there’s a very high chance that potential customers won’t finish a purchase or transaction. Why? Websites that are designed for laptops and computers will cause smartphone users endless scrolling of all directions just to view a product or read your content. This type of customer experience is very infuriating.
4. Not offering discounts or promotions
Who doesn’t want to save money when buying stuff? Even rich people haggle. It’s human nature. That’s why when we see the word “SALE” we always stop by to look at what products are promoted or under discount.
Have you noticed we tend to buy the goods that we want and need that are on sale? That’s because we know we’re going to get a good deal. So practice offering discounts and promotions. And don’t forget coupons – they’re like rewards for customer loyalty.
Now, not offering discounts or any other customer incentives won’t mean that your sales will plummet. The point is, these incentives drive customer loyalty – which is very important because loyal customers generate 80% of your store’s total revenue.
5. Forcing anything to your customers
Remember when Apple forced U2’s album “Songs of Innocence” into their devices? Most Apple users do. It is true that U2 is a famous rock band. But not everyone has their music as their cup of tea. This caused an angry backlash especially when the users found out they cannot delete the album.
Learn from this example. If you’re handing out freebies or expansions as a way to promote your services, make sure that your customers love these freebies. If they don’t want the freebies, give them a different option without the freebies. More importantly, always perform an A/B testing first.
6. Fixing or reinventing a perfect product
Each brand, small or large has a specific product that sells well. And that product alone puts the business into the market spotlight. What happens if the manufacturer changes the formula for their product? Another raging customer backlash will happen.
Take the case of Coca-Cola’s “New Coke” back in 1985. Coke’s original recipe was good and it was loved globally until they changed the formula. This caused a massive consumer outrage. One that any business has never seen before.
The moral of the story? Don’t fix what isn’t broken and always listen to your customers. If you’re making a reinvented product, market it as a separate one. If nobody’s buying it, better stop making it then.
To achieve business success always listen to your customers and give them what they want. Reward them for their loyalty or even if they’re just a one-time customer. More importantly, time your campaigns right by putting yourself in their shoes. Ask yourself these questions, “What are customers thinking of buying now? How would they want it to be bought? Would they like it?”
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