Do You Make Any of These Critical Marketing Mistakes ?
by David Kingston
http://www.fatmarketing.com

Errors happen regardless of 'what type' of business industry you're operating. Employees make critical errors on a daily basis. This is often due to the company's size, the number of employees, and the inability for management to review departmental progress. To avoid some of the critical marketing errors that occur, you need to recognize and evaluate your strategies.

Lacking a Marketing Plan

Entrepreneurs and small business owners seldom put together a marketing plan. Lacking concern over the development of a plan is due the method which small business owners use to fund their business endeavors. More than 50% of small businesses begin on a shoestring budget, and don't seek assistance from outside investors.

Success in any business depends upon a carefully constructed marketing plan. You would not go on a road trip without a map, so why go into business without a plan to guide you on the journey? Going into business is inviting failure and if you simply break the marketing down into its core elements, you will find that you feel more confident about your business and its chances of success.

Ignoring the Market

It is not uncommon for someone to not analyze their market by asking the who, what, where and when questions that can help you understand it. Your target market must be accessible because if it is not, you are in trouble.

You want to know who will be buying your company's services or products. You will need a list of the demographics of your target audience.

You also need to know where your potential customers are also where your competition has its customer base. If your company depends on traffic from the street, you will want to know about the area immediately surrounding your business.

You also need to know what limits are in place. Location is critical so found out about the location of your competition and what areas they service. Knowing this will help you found out if any limitation need to be looked into further.

Products and Services that Interchange

Business diehards often enter one endeavor after another without being specific. Mass confusion occurs when this happens because there is no definition of "what type" of products and/or services the company sells. Most of these businesses use the term "full-service" as a title of what they do for the customer. Interchanging products and services may fatten your profit, but it causes too much customer confusion to be worthwhile.

Nonexistent Business Plan

Marketing 101-"Don't begin a business without a Business Plan!" A business plan built on the promises and actions of others is doomed. The "dream" needs to be real and believable. Each step should be calculated and achieved by the efforts of one person - you. The company needs a foundation built upon the owners experience and knowledge.

Not Responding to Customer Needs

In the fast pace of today's business professional, an immediate response from the provider is expected. A slow response leads only to a loss of business. Take the holidays for example.

The customer has no time to spare. He runs into a department store for a last minute item and finds a line 50 people long.

A: Does the customer patiently wait in line?
B: Does the retail manager open another register?

Naturally the manager should open up another line because most people will never wait that long to buy anything. The manager needs to respond to the needs of the customer and find a way to help people get in and out of the store quickly.

You are less likely to commit marketing errors once you are aware of them. Review your basic strategies on a monthly basis to check for chinks in your armor. You might even consider spending the money for a business consultant to come in and help you iron out all of the details. Such an investment may well prove worthwhile in the long run.

David Kingston is the chief writer for, and editor of FAT Marketing, visit there today for the latest Business advice, and why not sign up for the free Business newsletter. Read many more interesting articles on Business at : http://www.fatmarketing.com/articles You can also find out where to get the cheapest, most profitable pay-per-click traffic on the net.