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HOW TO TRIUMPH OVER THE 10 MOST "DEADLY" MARKETING MISTAKES
© 1999 Bill Berkey
It's a fact...business is more competitive today, than it's
ever been! To succeed, you have to know how to market
effectively.
Unfortunately, most businesses have no idea of how to get
the most out of every marketing "dollar" spent. Many don't
have a clue on how to create powerful, hard-hitting,
marketing communications.
Maybe today is a good day to take a sharp look at the Top
10 Most "Deadly" Marketing Mistakes and how you can overcome
them.
==Mistake #1: Ruining Your Reputation With Inappropriate
advertising.
This is in number one position, because it is the biggest
mistake that anyone (new or old to the Internet) can make.
The common name for it is: "Spamming". Despite what you may
have heard, there is no better way to run your online
business into the ground than the act of sending unsolicited
e-mail. It's the ultimate mistake!
==Mistake #2: Your Web Site Is Focused On YOU, And Not On
Your Prospect And Customer Needs.
Isn't this obvious? Check out a few web sites...then answer
this question: Are most of the sites telling you what
benefits you get if you become a customer? Or are they
telling you about their company, how wonderful they are,
what they do, how great their quality is, hot many 'hits'
they get, how great their service is, and all about them?
==Mistake #3: Fail To Determine Specifically Who Your
Target Market Is And What Their Wants And Needs Are.
Ninety percent of businesses rarely make the attempt to
determine who their market is, and what their market's
desires, needs, wants, and passions are.
The successful online marketers can tell you precisely who
they're marketing to, and what their prospects and customers
want in a product or service.
Here's a couple of "why and what's" you need to know: Why
does your customer buy from you? What do your customers
want or need most in the products or services you offer?
Once you know the "why/what", you can focus your marketing
efforts to show your prospects that you can satisfy their
"why/what".
Mistake #4: Not Managing Your E-Mail Communications
Efficiently.
Your e-mail communication with prospects and customers will
make or break you. Since most of the time you will never get
a chance to impress them in person, you really need to learn
how to use e-mail to your advantage. Much of it is common
sense.
Each and every day we receive e-mail from people asking us
to do business with them, and many of them look like they
were written by a 10 year-old. Spelling errors, grammar
problems, poorly formatted and difficult to read ... you
name it.
>>Mistake #5: You Fail To Capture Your Customers & Prospects
Names And E-Mail Addresses.
This is the simplest mistake to make and the easiest to
correct. Your mailing list, or customer database is your
biggest source of lifetime profits!
To make your customer list really profitable, plan on
contacting each person at least once a month.
==Mistake #5: Never Try To Sell Your Customer A "Back
End" Product.
Your hottest prospect is someone that has just bought from
you. This is your best opportunity for another immediate
sell. The key to successfully doing this is having products
that offer solutions to the problems that your prospects
have. Related problems and related solutions equals
increased opportunity for sales.
Your job isn't over once you've sold your customers their
first product. Just remember: your customers are never
"hotter" than when they first order!
You should look for a logical product or service to offer
your customer. Using the back-end will turn one-shot sales
into repeat customers. Smart marketers do it consistently.
>>Mistake #6: You Are Not Persistent And Willing To "Stick
It Out" Until You've Contacted Your Prospects Enough Times.
You must commit to connecting with your prospects a minimum
of 7 times. You need to contact your prospect time and time
again and hit them with the same benefit packed points over
and over again until they take action!
Set up a follow-up routine for yourself. One of the best
pieces of software, I've found, that solves the "follow-up"
problem is called "Pipeline". I used to do all my follow-up
by hand (and it was hit-or-miss), now I'm totally automated.
Turn the computer on, hit a button...and all my follow-up's
for the day are done. You can download a demo of Pipeline
at: http://www.pipelinemail.com/rs/spectra/
==Mistake #7: Destroying Your Site With Graphics and/or
Annoying Music.
This ranks right at the top of the most offensive Internet
marketing mistakes. If you are running a business online,
your web site's job is to sell. Anything that detracts from
this process should be avoided.
Unless you are selling graphics...then heavy graphics on
your site, that take forever to load, won't sell anything.
Sound or music clips on your web site...annoying!!!
==Mistake #8: You Don't Have Any Idea How To Write Or
Produce Persuasive Sales Letters That Get Your Prospects To
Buy NOW, Or To Get Your Customers To Buy Again.
If your car was having a problem, and you knew NOTHING about
cars, (except where to put the gas in) would you open the
hood and try to fix it? NO!
Your investment in a good copywriter will be worth more than
anything else you'll ever spend your marketing $$$ on.
==Mistake #9: Forgetting That Marketing Is The Key To Your
Success.
Even if you have the greatest product in the world you will
never sell anything if you don't tell anyone about it.
Without advertising there will be no prospects, and without
prospects there will be no sales. It sounds like common
sense, but it's also a common mistake.
You only have to do two things to be successful in business,
and you only need to do one of them on a regular basis. Can
you guess what it is?
==Mistake #10: Thinking You're Going To Get Rich Without
Working Hard.
Here's another mistake that isn't exactly limited to the
Internet, but it is just as dangerous as the others. If we
had to pick just one, this would probably be the number one
cause of failure -- both online and in the real world.
Making money is easy, but you must work for it.
A successful online business isn't built overnight, it is
the result of many late nights. If anyone says that they can
teach you to make a substantial amount of money without hard
work, run as far away as you possibly can.
==Mistake #11: Not Understanding The Real Power Of The
Internet. (I know we said 10...this is a bonus)
The Internet is a powerful communications tool. It was
created for this purpose, and you'll get the most out of it
if you use it as such. There has never been an easier or
more cost-effective way for a business to reach its target
audience. Take full advantage of it.
Use the power of the Internet to reach millions of customers
all over the world. And then use it to provide them with the
sort of customer service that was impossible without it. Use
the Internet to gather information, research the
competition, and network with others.
There's a goldmine of information floating around the Net,
but you have to know where to find it. Learn how to use the
search engines to easily find almost anything you need and
your productivity will skyrocket.
There you have it...the Top Internet Marketing Mistakes.
Sure there are lots more, but these costly mistakes are
common and they provide a good starting point. Steer clear
of the Top Mistakes and you are guaranteed to be more
successful in your endeavors on the Internet.
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Bill Berkey is the publisher of E-Digest, a weekly free
marketing newsletter for Internet Entrepreneurs. To
subscribe to E-Digest, visit http://www.e-digest.com
or send
any e-mail message to mailto:subscribe@e-digest.com
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