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FIVE COSTLY ERRORS THAT MAY BE PREVENTING YOUR
MARKETING MESSAGE FROM GETTING THE RESULTS YOU WANT.

By Shirley Hanson

What marketing tools don't work for you?

We ask this question when we welcome subscribers to our
zine. Their answers are consistent: "We sent out a mailing
and got no response," they may say. Or they tell us, "Our
letters, postcards, or brochures failed."

What went wrong?

You may be surprised. The reasons you find here may not be
what you suspect. You may be thinking, "Direct mail letters
(or other marketing communications such as a Yellow Pages
ads, brochures, newspaper ads, etc.) just don't work for
someone in my business."

Because you and your 3-fold brochure, sales letter, or other
marketing message are not in front of us, we can't pinpoint
exactly why it fell short. We can, though, give you five of
the most common errors that may be shutting the door on the
results you want.

And just by reversing these mistakes your marketing
communications can become winners!

Costly Error #1 - Not Precisely Pinpointing Your Target
Market

One of our clients, a leading networking company, relied
heavily on seminars for its sales. To boost attendance at
one seminar, it placed an ad in the local newspaper inviting
anyone and everyone to attend. With its wide-open y'all come
approach, the ad attracted students looking for information
and a free lunch.

Instead of desperately trying to fill seminar seats, the
company would have done better to more precisely identify
its target -- the information technology managers and
executives who make decisions about networks.

Even if your message is the greatest, it will fail if it
doesn't reach the right people.

Costly Error #2 - Spending Money On The Wrong Marketing
Medium

A new video producer we interviewed for an article told us
this story. After creating a video about dog training, he
developed a marketing strategy -- to place a $600 ad in TV
Guide. After all, he reasoned, there has to be a pack of dog
owners among its 20 million readers. Perhaps. But only one
of them ordered the video.

He would have a greater chance of success by trying out an
ad in a publication geared to dog lovers or, perhaps,
purchasing a list from one of these publications and testing
a mailing.

The better you can describe and understand your market, the
more likely you are to find them. And the more you zero in
on exactly where they hang out in groups (such as readers of
specialized publications or newsletters), the less you risk
choosing a time-and-money-swallowing marketing medium.

Costly Error #3 - Putting a Fog Around Your Message

Sometimes business people write marketing communications
with the belief they should, above all else, be clever. (Or,
worse, they pay others to concoct these witty or whimsical
messages for them.) As a result, their main message becomes
clouded. Another frequent fault is to obscure their message
with jargon.

Or they may bury their message beneath a display of
sensational verbal or graphic fireworks. Think of the number
of Web sites you've seen where the message is submerged or
nonexistent.

Be alert! Don't let anything come between you and the
message you want your prospects to remember and respond to.

Costly Error #4 - Relying On Image And A Brochure To Carry
The Day

By image we mean marketing communications with the sole
purpose of creating an image and awareness of your firm,
product, or service. They attempt to be a work of art. Watch
out! Sometimes they take the form of a glossy brochure with
slick photographs and attention-grabbing layout.

The problem is they do not produce measurable results, nor
do they provide feedback to guide you in improving your
marketing message.

If you have $10 million to spend on marketing, your image
brochure (or ad) may work for you ... some day. It's
unlikely that it can prompt your prospects to act now.

Read on to find out exactly what goes in your brochure or ad
to grab your best prospects and urge them to respond at
once.

Costly Error #5 - Not Acting On The Power Of Marketing
Leverage

What is marketing leverage?

Controlled studies by successful advertising experts have
measured the impact of headlines, offers, copy, and
graphics. By testing -- changing these elements one at a
time and comparing results from direct response ads -- the
experts discovered the following differences between
responses to the best and worst versions of each element.

The champions, please...

Headline: a response that was 21 times greater Offer: a
response that was 10 times greater Copy: a response that was
5 times greater Graphics: a response that was 5 times
greater

How can you take advantage of this information?

If your marketing communication does not have an offer,
develop one. If it has a lackluster offer, make it
irresistible. If your marketing document does not have a
headline, create one. If it has a humdrum headline, generate
one that grabs the attention of your prospects.

How about you? Do you suspect that one or more of these
errors caused your marketing messages to fall short?

By avoiding these expensive mistakes you will improve your
chances of success. Put these errors behind you and produce
marketing communications that get attention and results.

Shirley Hanson is a writer and direct marketer who helps consultants
and high-tech firms attract more clients and customers for higher
revenues. Also, she specializes in writing Web content that makes
a difference -more visitors who stay longer. You can subscribe to
her free zine The Marketing Energizer for Consultants. The Hanson
Marketing Group Web site features marketing tips, techniques,
and A-to-Z steps at http://www.hansonmarketing.com