Marketing used to be something quite fancy and corporate that only the slickest, largest and richest companies in Sydney and Melbourne did — or could afford to do — but now that has all changed. Even those working in legal services know that it’s vital that your law firm makes the most of its current marketing resources to boost its brand image and create a profile that people trust and want to engage with.
Still, companies everywhere are making mistakes when it comes to their marketing, and the worst thing is that so many of these errors are completely avoidable. Below are some examples of what we mean:
1. No Marketing Plan
Thinking that marketing is something that can be done on the fly with no plan is the biggest and most common mistake that businesses of all kinds make. The main reason for such a lack of planning is that people believe that most marketing is simply posting on social media, creating an advert for a local newspaper, and possibly writing a bit of content on the website every now and then.
Those who want to get serious about marketing will know that this approach is a disastrous error. A marketing plan will help marshall your resources more effectively to produce regular, high-quality marketing content that is going to further your cause.
2. No Reflection on USPs
To create a marketing plan, and any sort of content, the business in question must first think carefully about what its unique selling points (USPs) are. Too many companies when starting their marketing efforts focus on entirely generic points for their advertising and other content. For instance, they’ll say that you should choose them because they offer high quality and affordable prices. These are hardly inspiring or unique points.
Businesses have to spend time to reflect on what qualities make them unique among the competition. They have to consider what it is about their product or service that others can’t or won’t replicate.
3. Skipping Detailed Market Research and Going for “Universal Appeal”
Another common mistake is for businesses to forgo an in-depth look at their target market, instead opting for a strategy that they feel will appeal to everyone. The important news here is that no marketing strategy is going to appeal universally. It’s therefore critically important that businesses can properly segment their audience and create marketing content that will speak to those different groups.
To use the example of a law firm once again, if the speciality of that law firm is family law, then it’s hard to make a single unifying marketing message to speak to all the potential clients in that niche. Some will want a lawyer to help them with adoption, but others may want a family lawyer to help facilitate a divorce. Those are two very different messages.
4. Ignoring or Snubbing Social Media
While most enterprises have embraced social media and acknowledged its value to business, others continue to resist, feeling instead that it is beneath them. A decade ago, it may have been valid for some sectors of the market to say that they have no use for social media, but nowadays, with so many people connected to it, it’s hard to justify ignoring it altogether.
Even if one just maintains a simple social media presence, it is better than having nothing at all. Social media can be a valuable tool for building up your brand message and image.
5. Not Studying What the Competition is Doing
Finally, ignoring your competition is a critical mistake. Some people try to justify this by saying they don’t want to be like the competition. That’s fair, but you can’t really achieve that unless you understand well what your competitors are doing. Remember that your rivals are often serving the very market segment that you are trying to capture. You should be humble enough to want to emulate certain elements that you feel they have gotten right!
