How Not To Promote Your Business

So I just wanted to take the time to go through the don'ts of business promotion for two reasons really, Firstly I think you will find it more effective to know what you really shouldn't do as opposed to all of the ways that you should promote your business, the reason being there are so many strategies you can use and they will all depend on the kind of business you are currently running or wish to run in the future. Secondly it is likely what I say to you will resonate more and you will also know the pitfalls to avoid, as they say you learn from your own and other people's mistakes and believe me in my businesses, I have made quite a few! Well that's being kind to myself really, I've made more mistakes than you've had hot dinners, but as it should be taken, you fail in order to fail forward.

So getting into the no go areas of business promotion, just before I do I realise that you may be think that it would be better to have the strategies that will work and achieve results, however as I mentioned you must remember that every business model will require different forms of marketing, different approaches and techniques, there are methods that work well for some people and others that don't work so well. It is down to your own discretion and to go with what you enjoy most, that is the key to successful marketing campaigns, consistency and consistency can only be achieved when you enjoy what you are doing.

Let's begin.

Don't Spam People

Now because of the way that the world is now, the internet is a breeding ground for people who endlessly post messages on social media sites with deals for the their products, send reams of emails out with nothing but rubbish in them, the web has become so saturated with junk that people have developed advertising blindness and will often ignore these kinds of approaches for their business. It isn't just the internet though where this is happening, postal services are still delivering more and more rubbish to our front doors as I'm sure you have noticed! Great for the bonfire, not so great for the environment or our sanity. Don't spam, give value, this is the overriding key to all marketing these days. Give people value again and again and gain their trust, when you have them on your list and they appreciate and trust the information you are giving them, you have yourself the start of something special.

Don't Over Exaggerate or Make False Promises

This may seem like common sense to you, however the number of knuckleheads out there who do not heed this advice warrants me mentioning this right now. We've all seen the stereotype salesperson trying to get a quick and easy sale by promising something and delivering something completely different, well, don't be that salesperson! Be very upfront and in some cases very blunt about what you are selling, how it is going to help the potential client, nothing more and nothing less.

Don't Try To Be Someone Else

I guess that kind of links in with being honest when you are selling your products and services, you need to let people know your personality, let them know exactly who you are as a person and believe me, you will attract the kinds of people you want to work with and who you want to be buying your products. It's no secret that people buy people in many cases and if you are selling high ticket items or services, then you need to let your personality shine through, not that of someone putting up a front trying to be someone else. People will always pick up on this and they will struggle to build any trust with you. We are all born into this world as tiny bundles of organs, muscles and bones, a setup of awesome potential whichever way you look at it, so don't ever worry about someone not liking the real you, put yourself out there and you won't get hurt, because you've already accepted who you are.

Don't Be Someone for Everyone

As Zig Ziglar once said, "you can't make it in life as a wandering generality, you absolutely must become a meaningful specific". This rings so true in business as well as life in general, you need to know exactly who you are marketing and selling your products and services to. This is the only way that you are going to truly make a big enough impact on someone to actually cause them to take the decision to buy from you. Get specific about your target market, who are they? Where do they spend their time? What do they enjoy doing? Really get into their heads and begin to promote in a way that resonates deeply with them.

Don't Give up When You Get Rejected

A typical sales cycle requires the potential buyer to be subjected to a piece of your advertising at least 7 times before they make a decision to buy, on that basis, why on earth would you give up after the first or second time? You need to make sure you are gathering peoples information like email and contact numbers and over a period of time, drip feed them information of value, alongside one or two promotions as well. In time, people will make decisions, you just need to make sure you are in front of them with your solution at the point that they decide to take action.