<p><em>Editor's Note: This is part 2 of a 3-part article. You can find <a href="the-top-ten-marketing-mistakes-small-businesses-make-1-3">part 1 here</a>.</em></p> <p><strong>Mistake #4: Not Developing a Clear and Consistent Marketing Message </strong></p> <p>Messaging is the careful development of the precise and concise language that quickly conveys the key message(s) you want known about your product or organization. In today&rsquo;s competitive landscape if you can&rsquo;t convey these messages quickly and have them resonate, you&rsquo;ll lose your potential customer to someone else.&nbsp; Make sure your message and images are <strong>consistent, concise, and cohesive</strong>. &nbsp;Stop trying to be creative and start focusing on the basics; who you are, what you have to offer, and what the benefits are of doing business with you.&nbsp; Remember, <strong>it takes six touches of the same message for the audience to finally recognize your product, so be consistent</strong>.&nbsp; The last thing you want is to confuse a potential customer by losing focus on what is really important.</p> <p><strong>Mistake #5: Believing Your Product or Service will Sell Itself </strong></p> <p>Many companies make the mistake of thinking that their product or service is so great and so different that they don&rsquo;t need to market it at all. &nbsp;This may make sense to you, but think of all the products and services you use today.&nbsp; Did any of them just find their way to your door simply because they were perfect for you?&nbsp; The reality is people need to be told why they should buy your product or service.&nbsp; They need to be convinced that they can&rsquo;t live without it.&nbsp; And once they have it, you need to provide them with customer service and personalized attention to ensure they will continue to use it.&nbsp; All of these things require marketing.&nbsp; If you have limited funds, start with business cards, a Web site, informational collateral (print or multimedia), an introduction/sales letter, and a customer service/thank you letter.&nbsp; Once things are moving along you can add direct mail postcards, electronic newsletters, video emails or product/service CD brochures to your marketing toolkit.&nbsp; No matter how great your product, don&rsquo;t forget you still need to market it to get it sold.</p> <p><strong>Mistake #6: Not Clearly Defining Your Product or Services&rsquo; Benefits </strong></p> <p>Today&rsquo;s highly competitive marketplace is constantly changing and often consumers are confused about the products and services they purchase.&nbsp; Educating your customer is critical.&nbsp; Defining your product or service benefits is imperative.&nbsp; If you can&rsquo;t put into writing what makes you different from the competition (i.e. local vs. out of state) or, what makes your product or service different from the competition (i.e. organic vs.&nbsp; processed) how a potential customer can make an informed decision to buy.&nbsp; By defining the unique selling proposition for your product/or service you will help your target audience differentiate you from the competition.&nbsp; Isn&rsquo;t that what you need to do to increase your sales?</p> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 2009-06-01T13:48:45Z 2009-06-03T20:26:53Z -7.0392 235 4813 true 15 15289 the-top-ten-marketing-mistakes-small-businesses-make-4-6 2 2009-06-03T14:22:14Z 2009-06-03T20:26:53Z

Learn the common mistakes small businesses make so that you can be sure to avoid them. (Mistakes 4 -6)

1 2009-06-03T20:26:53Z