Several weeks ago, I spoke with a new client who was impressed with my history and accomplishments. My ego was flattered, but I felt compelled to share with him details of my marketing mistakes and the lessons learned from those experiences.
I write three blogs a week about marketing but probably don’t spend enough energy reminding myself of the stupid and ineffective marketing stuff that didn’t work and created problems.
My skills have been sharpened on my marketing mistakes. I celebrate them because with every misstep, I learn and grow through experience.
Here are a handful of dumb mistakes I made. The good news is that I learned from those errors.
Dumb Mistakes and Lessons Learned
- I thought I could market products to everyone. Spray and pray. Try to reach a width swath of a market. I learned that marketing requires the smallest, possible audience with narrow and distinctive needs. The more specific the targeting, the better the results will be for most campaigns.
- I tried every tactic instead of doubling down on one or two and gaining expertise in one approach. I learned that you couldn’t spread your efforts to thin – even if you have a substantial budget to spend. Focus is now my favorite F word.
- I didn’t spend enough time with customers to feel their pain and understand how my product/brand would serve to help them. I learned how important it is to get close to real, live customers. Proximity leads to understanding how to be helpful. Get out of your office and stop hiding behind a screen. Hang out with people you want to serve and like Bill Clinton, feel their pain.
- I was confused about selling and marketing. I learned that planting seeds and picking fruit aren’t the same activity. But they are all part of nurturing, fertilizing and building relationships and need to work seamlessly. I learned the critical importance of patience to become a better marketer. Also, I gain insight into how important it is to align marketing and sales activities.
- I fell in love with my most ingenious idea, not the one that would work best. I’m such a sucker for a twist of a phrase, a pun or something that is different. I learned that creativity is but a part of marketing success, not the whole enchilada. Today, I like to let my ideas breathe – give them time to marinate so that I can come back to them with fresh eyes.
- I didn’t listen to the story behind the story I heard from customers and clients. Over time, I learned to keep digging deeper, asking a better question and getting to the root problem of a situation. Often the challenge someone faces isn’t what they initially say. Root challenges take time for it to emerge.
The marketers I admire most are the ones unafraid of admitting their failures but always learning and improving. We grow when we stumble and recognize how important it is to avoid repeating the same mistakes.
When your knives get dull, you need to sharpen your blades.
What dumb marketing mistakes have you made on your path to becoming a better marketer?
You can set up a time to chat with me about your marketing challenges using my calendar. Email me jeffslater@themarketingsage.com Call me. 919 720 0995. The conversation is free, and we can explore if working together makes sense. Try my new chat feature on my site if you have a quick question.
