You may think that you got marketing wrong if the product isn’t selling, but no one is infallible. The assumptions we make about the marketplace, trends and what consumers want are often misguided. In this article we discuss ten mistakes that marketing people and the companies they help make, like allure marketing group “wordpress”. Hopefully, after reading this you will be able to identify the mistakes before you commit them.
1. You are not the customer
Marketing people exist for one specific reason – to help customers buy your product. This can be a little hard, because marketing people are not the customer. As such it is easy for marketing people to make assumptions about the marketplace and what consumers want based on their own interests and wishes – but this is not always correct.
2. Using the solution looking for a problem
There is an old saying that is often attributed to Harry Truman – “If you find yourself in a hole, stop digging”. As marketing people we can get so involved in trying to sell our product that we lose sight of whether people even need it. It may be something that no one wants, or that someone might not need now but will want in the future. The most insidious cases of this are products which are meant to fix problems that don’t exist. It is very hard to sell products which scratch this particular itch.
3. Making products for everyone
In a perfect world, every product would be designed to solve every problem that it could. If you were to go back in time to the Edison lab and ask him “Why can’t people see 10 miles away?”, you would probably hear some brilliant engineer explaining why his light bulb is perfect for the average person. But then again, maybe not. It’s easy to fall into this trap if you have only ever worked with the most general consumer – no one who has a problem would need your product. This is why it’s important to get feedback on your ideas from people who are further down the consumer continuum than you are – sometimes we don’t even know what our products do until we try them out on someone else.
4. Thinking that the customer is stupid
Even though customers are not marketing people, we tend to assume a basic IQ level and education. This is generally a false assumption. People who have never used computers have a hard time figuring them out – so do people who don’t drive cars or don’t play video games! What may seem obvious to you may not be to them. Remember this when designing and advertising your product.
5. Being predictable
One of the most important things a marketer can do is predict trends and what the customer wants – especially before they want it. Peter Drucker once said “If you cannot predict, you cannot control.” This is true for both the marketplace and the customer – you want to be able to identify a trend early and capitalize on it. If on the other hand what you are doing is already telegraphed by your competition, then it’s not a very good idea.
6. Hiding behind your product
This is one of the most common marketing mistakes – people who hide behind their product or company’s reputation thinking that no one can see through it. Generally when this happens, everything is wrong with the product – all of the functionality isn’t there and in general it doesn’t look good either. When you are proud of your product, it shows.
7. Assuming that anyone realizes that you exist
Marketing people get a bad rap from the ‘suits’ because they tend to fly under the radar – it’s easy for corporations or governments to forget about them until a product is released. A good way to avoid this mistake is to make sure that everyone knows who you are and what they can do for you – every corporation is different, so this will vary. Be sure to pick up on any feedback early and capitalize on it.
8. Chasing the pack
When you decide to use a marketing person or company, you are effectively asking them for help. This means that it’s important to find out what other corporations are doing before you pick one. Marketing people are not all the same, but there is often overlap in what they do – this is because they have found out what works in marketing and have made it their own specialty. If a marketing person is “Chasing the pack”, then they are not following their own instincts but someone else’s – this generally leads to having no real identity as well as an inability to “Brand” your corporation effectively.
9. Doing anything to get attention
Even if you are the most innocent person ever, sometimes the best way to get people’s attention is to do something stupid. There are many things that can be done – like hiring scantily clad dancers or throwing eggs at people in a public place. If you are prepared for either of these, then this will not be a problem for you. However, it is important to remember that your product may fail if people don’t like it – if your company’s reputation is based on your marketing acumen, this may backfire.
10. Making up trends
Whenever there is an unexpected trend which doesn’t fit your assumptions of the marketplace or the consumer next door, it should be treated with suspicion until proven otherwise.
Conclusion:
Marketing people are not all that common, but their importance cannot be overstated. There is an old saying that “A bad product will always sell – a bad brand will last forever.” This is very true in marketing – a good product will sell and a good brand will last. It’s often more important to develop the right product than to develop the best marketing strategy because as Aaron Sorkin said “I don’t know anything about marketing; I’m just here to write.” Just like in any other industry, it’s not enough to have a great product, you have to have some way of getting it out there. Your product may be great, but if everyone hates your marketing then you’re screwed no matter how great your product is.
