How to Improve Marketing by Applying the Brakes

There is a common misconception when it comes to marketing, with many firms believing that the more they spend, the more they do and the more ubiquitous their marketing materials become, the more successful they’ll inevitably be. Here at Opportunity Marketing we don’t necessarily agree that more expense means more success, and to prove it we’re going to give you all a lesson in less. Here’s how by actually doing a little less, you could hope to achieve more from your marketing activities this year…

Sell less…

Audiences are far more discerning today than they were just a few years ago, and tactless sales messages are likely to have a negative effect rather than convince them to part with their money. Most modern audiences – in particular digital media users – are very well attuned to coercion from marketers, so very blatant calls to action can often prove counterproductive. Try to sell less and take a more measured, subtle approach and your marketing activities will pay dividends this year.

Buy less…

By the same token, many companies will throw money at their marketing activities in the hope that comprehensive exposure will win them trade through dint of repetition.

There are certain companies (we needn’t bother naming them here) who monopolise television advertising, print space and online marketing too, to the extent that their ads become an all too familiar part of our daily lives.

This degree of exposure can become actively irritating and invasive – surely it’s better to say something worthwhile a couple of times than to say something inane ad nauseum? Whether your budget is vast or limited, you should be aware of the ROI of everything you invest in.

Say less…

Marketing is not about painstaking detail, despite what some brands will have you believe to the contrary. Your marketing activities should never say more than is completely necessary.

They need to bring your potential customers to your business or to your website where they can learn about your products and services in more detail.

The attention span of a modern audience is not long, so if you give them too much to read, watch or listen to, they’re liable to zone out and fail to engage with your brand. Give them a hook to bite onto and then let your products sell themselves, instead.

Hit less…

Many companies take something of a scattergun approach to marketing, throwing their budget at as many outlets as possible in the hope that something will stick.

Rather than hitting as broad an audience as you can, narrowing your approach to reach only those people who may have an interest in becoming customers can be much more beneficial.

As an example, Stannah Stairlifts may be much less likely to see marketing success via Facebook, for instance, as their audience simply isn’t there.

This may be a slightly extreme example, but it works to demonstrate how a focussed approach to marketing is more desirable than a broad, expensive and ultimately wasteful strategy.