The Don’t-Do Checklist: 5 Marketing Ideas That You Should Never Implement
The web is overpopulated with poor marketing ideas and advice. Every day a new blog with questionable advice sprouts up like a bad root in the soil. For the non-savvy business owner, it’s hard to distinguish what is good and what isn’t. This is dangerous, as it can be the difference between blowing a marketing budget and seeing a healthy ROI on your time and resources.
Why is there such a high amount of bad advice? It’s a mix of people just not knowing what they’re talking about, and people who just want to get into your wallet.
This is why we’re introducing the “Don’t-Do Checklist”, so that you can dodge the awful advice that’s out there.
- Don’t blindly follow any marketer
Don’t take what any marketer says at face value, unless you have had a positive experience or result with that person. Before you implement the advice that anyone gives (whether from a marketer or not), you should conduct your own research to see the accuracy of that person’s claims.
Just because someone says that they’re an expert doesn’t make them an expert. Are they respected in their circles? Do they have proof that what their advice works? What’s their agenda? Are they only trying to dig into your pockets? If any of this is unclear, you should verify whether or not this person is worth listening to.
What you should do: Listen to what that person has to say, but ultimately make an informed decision based on your own research.
- Don’t buy email lists
If you want to get into email marketing, do it organically. Buying email lists, for the most part, is waste of time and money. You’re just buying a list of cold, disinterested people who probably have never heard of you or your product. It’s better to build your own email list from the ground up, as you will see a much higher ROI in the long run.
People recommend buying email lists because it is a seemingly fast way to start an email campaign, but it’ll do more harm than good.
What you should do: Start collecting emails today. Offer a free incentive to get people to sign up, add them to your list and begin your campaign.
- Don’t join every social network
“You must spend time on every social network!” Actually, you don’t. You should only join social networks that have some relevance to your business. If you indiscriminately join every new social media site that pops up, your time and resources will be devoured. You’re simply not going to find success on every outlet, so it’s better to devote your time to the essential social platforms, so that you can get the most value out of them.
What you should do: Before you join any new social network, determine whether or not the customers that you’re looking for are on there. If they are not on there, ignore that network.
- Don’t spend money without tracking your results
We’ve stressed this point many times before and we’ll do it again: Analytics and tracking are all-important. Tracking your results is like checking your temperature with a thermometer. Getting good results is the green light for moving forward, while poor performance is the prohibitive red light.
How many businesses are blowing their marketing budget without the slightest idea of how well their campaigns (whether online or off) are performing? Too many to count.
What you should do: Track everything: Your site’s performance, traffic, bounce rates, subscribers, sales, returns, ROI. Every metric that matters should be tracked.
- Don’t expect to sell without giving value
Don’t blast your prospects and customers with incessant sales offers. This will only repel people away from your business. People don’t want to buy from a company that is constantly trying to assault their wallets.
Create value first. On your blog, social media networks and email list, see where you can give some sort of value to your customers. Offer discounts and incentives, give free advice. In some ways, this can seem counterintuitive, but it is the best way to gain loyal followers and customers.
What you should do: Adopt a mindset that is value-driven. Ask your customers what they would like to see from your business and give it to them. Find any way to generously give value.
