Mistakes to avoid when marketing your business

Astute business owners understand that marketing is an integral part of their business. If you fail to carefully manage and monitor your marketing the chances are high that your business could suffer a serious if not fatal setback. Successful business owners take the time to educate themselves about marketing and most importantly what to do and not do when it comes to promoting their business. If you are a new business owner or a business owner who is looking to improve their business marketing it is important to learn what mistakes to avoid when marketing your business-

- Not finding your customers-Many new business owners make the mistake of thinking that they can be everything to everyone. The reality is that no matter how great your product or service is not everyone will want to buy it. You need to focus on finding the segment of the population who is most likely to buy your product or service and become your target market. If you fail to take the time to find the customers who are most likely to want your product or service then your marketing will be at best ineffective and at worse very expensive and time consuming.
- Not using offline marketing-While there is no denying that online marketing is the new frontier of business promotion that does not mean that your marketing should be done 100% online. You need to carefully consider whether offline marketing will be effective in promoting your product or service. The key to determining whether or not you should use offline marketing is sufficient market research. You need to know how and where your customers will be looking for you. Do not simply assume that they will be online since many customers depending on the product or service may be looking for your business offline.
- Not asking their customers-If you already have an existing business then you need to make sure that you utilize one of your greatest marketing resources-your customers. Your customers can help you with your marketing in a number of different ways. First, start by asking your customers what they are looking for and what they want. This will help you in not only determining if your product or service is a good long term fit with your current customers it will also help you determine the best ways to get your marketing message out to your target market. You can do this in a number of different ways, as well. Creating a survey, phoning customers, or simply interviewing them when they buy from you can give you valuable insight in your marketing. Secondly, you need to offer your customers the very best in customer service so they will help to spread the word to their family and friends about what your business can do for them. Finally, make sure that you ask your customers for referrals and recommendations that can be used in your marketing.
- Not using mobile marketing-The evolution of marketing has moved from simply being online to being on the go. More and more customers have "smart phones" that will allow businesses to use this technology to reach their customers. Unfortunately, some studies show that only about 30% of all businesses are using this type of marketing technology. Any business owner who is wanting to expand the reach of their business marketing should investigate as to whether mobile marketing is right for their business. However, it should be stressed that if you choose to use this type of marketing you need to make sure that you are offering your customers messages of value or they will soon tire of your spam and block you.