Today’s guest post is by Brooke Chaplan, a freelance writer and blogger. This is an excellent overview for businesses of any size on how to avoid some basic marketing mistakes.

Avoiding Marketing Mistakes

A good marketing campaign exists on a razor-sharp edge between success and failure. There are few marketing campaigns that do just well enough to get by, because when a marketing campaign works, it really works. But when it flops, you may find yourself looking for a new marketing manager. Because marketing relies on edgy promotions to break through the noise of a modern life, you stand to lose customers if you don’t follow a few best practices. 

Extensive Research
If you don’t do research, you deserve whatever backlash you get from a bad campaign. Be careful and look at the plan from different angles. If you decide to target a foreign market, get your translations right. Pepsi once marketed a campaign in China that promised to “bring your ancestors back to life”.

Test it Small
Large companies can afford marketing focus groups, but smaller businesses may have to wrack their brains to try and determine whether anything in the campaign is too narrow or broad reaching. Take it to your local coffee shop, ask everyone and anyone you can find. 

Tread Lightly with Viral Content
Hot topics, controversial ideas, and trending topics can go horribly wrong in marketing campaigns. Ask yourself if your promotion helps your brand, or detracts from it. Use a mission statement to ensure every message you release coincides with the image you want to portray. Be careful that your campaign promotes your company in a positive light.

Originality Counts
If another company launches a campaign and it works, don’t copy it. Apple pretty much has the market for white backgrounds and simple explanations down. While you can certainly attempt to create campaigns that are simple and to the point, be very careful about branding your company as a copycat.

Find original ideas and make yourselves visible in other ways. Sometimes marketing can be as subtle as being recognized for your specific workwear uniforms or logo. Use the visibility you already have and incorporate it into how you advertise.

Use Customer Data
Use your customer data to ensure you are marketing to your demographics. If you don’t know your customer demographic, you shouldn’t be trying to create a marketing campaign in the first place. Invest time and energy into finding out who your customers are, and why they buy your products or service.

Social Media Mistakes
Don’t try to be everywhere unless you have the capital to invest in managing many different social media pages. Choose a few platforms, and provide a very specific type of information on each page. For example, articles can be posted on Facebook, while promotions and contests can appear on Twitter.

Take the time to find out how your customers would respond to your marketing campaign. With the right advertising plan, you can gain more visibility and new customers all while avoiding some big marketing mistakes. 

Brooke Chaplan is a freelance writer and blogger. She lives and works out of her home in Los Lunas, New Mexico. She loves the outdoors and spends most her time hiking, biking and gardening. For more information contact Brooke via Twitter @BrookeChaplan.”