Ditched These Old Marketing Tricks Yet? You Need To.

In business, it’s easy to refer to the people we serve as “consumers” or “an audience.” This distance makes it easier to imagine our target audiences as a greater, larger concept—but when we forget the individual aspect of our customers, we forget that these are real, living people with real, changing emotions. And sometimes, we forget how easily those emotions can turn against our business.

And in this day and age, no one is immune. Even mammoth companies like Pepsi and Heineken can offend loyal audiences with stray marketing campaigns. And as we’ve seen with those incidents and others, the irritated audience has the power to hurt a brand for years.

Are you using decades-old marketing techniques that might provoke your modern audience?

If you want to promote positive engagement, it’s time to ditch these strategies:

1. Depersonalized Marketing

Today’s consumers want to be addressed directly in advertising. Personalization is the one thing that can make advertisements feel less like marketing schemes and more like genuine, friendly outreach.

This is where all of your audience segmentation data comes into play. Instead of creating en-mass adverting campaigns, you have the knowledge to aim stylized coupons, sales, and visual ads toward the most receptive audiences.

2. Vague Outreach

There’s a video circulating on YouTube, called “This Is a Generic Brand Video.”

This video highlights all the vague terms and visual blandness that some marketers fail to recognize is now outdated.

If you’re still using some of these terms, you’re not alone. Just remember that, in 2019, your business ads need to be specific—and specifically valuable. How can you highlight the value of your product? How can you highlight the way your products will fill needs in your consumer’s lives?

If you’re relying upon stock imagery or vague language to sell your product, you might end up as an internet meme instead of a reputable source of goods. Think outside your genre, instead, and try for creativity that will catch consumers’ eyes.

3. Overt Social Media

It’s fine to use your social outlets as promotional zones—it’s even expected, and customers will look for some sales aspect of your social activity. But if you’re using your business’s social media solely for promotional events, you’re missing the rest of the point.

The purpose is in the name: social media. You need to establish a social rapport with your online consumers. This might mean posting silly messages or establishing a positive brand tone that encourages interactions. When your customers know you’re listening, they’ll speak up more often.

Don’t give your consumers the chance to overlook your business in favor of another that offers them valuable information and interactions, not just products.

4. Social Faux Pas

We all live in interesting times, and in today’s charged environment, social propriety has become a complex issue. The last thing you want to do with a well-intentioned ad is alienate the audience you were trying to woo.

Do your research before you debut an ad. Have it checked over by peer groups, and then by representatives of the demographic you want to reach. They’ll be able to point out any social faux pas you may have missed and can save you the hassle of a major corporate back-peddle.

Consumers are more likely to retain the memories of a bad experience with a business than they are the memories of a good one. Forgo some of these older marketing campaign tactics and see for yourself how modernizing can bring you more business.

Conclusion

Is your company in need of help? MV3 Marketing Agency has numerous Marketing experts ready to assist you. Contact MV3 Marketing to jump-start your business.

Image attribution: Tierney – stock.adobe.com