6 Ways to Overdo Your Marketing

What I’m listening to: Misfits and Lovers by The Wallflowers

It’s been a great start to the week. I’m in touch with three new clients, two of whom I’ll be finalizing project specs with this week. Plus I have an article assignment from a favorite editor, and I’m excited about the topic.

Add to that two referrals since Thursday and it makes for a busy writer. I’ve not had to do much marketing, though I know I will still market. You can’t have a thriving freelance writing business without it.

However, there is such a thing as too much. I’ve talked about overdoing the marketing in the past, but it’s worth repeating. If you overdo the marketing, you lose your audience.

Let’s repeat that:

If you overdo the marketing, you lose your audience.


That’s a tough lesson to learn, particularly for marketers who think more contact equals more sales. While somewhere on the planet there may be statistics that show more messaging equals more money, I’m not buying it.

I’ve stopped following friends because their messages were too frequent, too in-your-face or both.

Recently I opted out of a marketing onslaught that started when I actually purchased something from the marketer. It’s someone I know and respect. Well, I respected them until the email barrage came in. Then it became, well, annoying. Then angering. Then downright ridiculous. I’m talking one email a day without even taking a break on holidays.

It was too much. So I opted out.

If I hadn’t liked the person, I’d have left ages ago. And maybe that’s what keeps the audience (and the constantly selling approach) going — this is a likable person.  The marketing was too much of the “You bought once, so you’ll surely want this, too” and it started to feel much like a hockey player who simply shoots at the goal repeatedly without sizing up the competition, ice condition, team member locations, etc.

The messages were no longer there for me, but for the marketer.

Where and how are we overdoing our marketing?

Twitter and other social media. You’ve seen it (and heaven help you if you’ve done it) — people tweeting not one, but a string of same/similar messages back to back. All promotional, and all of them missing the “social” part of social media. Keep this rule in mind: for every twenty messages, make just two of them promotional. What do you do with the rest of those messages? How about interact with your target audience?

The message-a-day approach. I’m sure more than one of you will tell me that this is a proven method of increasing sales. Maybe, but I know one other person who dropped this same marketer for the exact same reason. We spread the word to each other, too. Not the kind of response or word-of-mouth conversation any marketer wants or needs. Temper it. If you want to reach your audience that often, try giving them reason to visit your website.

Skip understanding your customer. Let’s assume you’re reaching your target audience. You may be reaching them with what you think is the message that will hook them. But what if it’s not what they’re valuing? Have you asked them what they want? If not, do it. Today.

Taking the me-me-me approach. One friend I stopped following a few years back committed this sin. Her emails were two a day (Really? Who has that much to say?) and every one of them was “Look at what I have done! I can do this for you!” Or “Buy this great thing I just built!” No focus on benefits, no focus on what her audience wanted to hear (or buy). Just “I’m the best at this!” No. No you’re not.

Skip the customer experience. Sure, you may have a great product or service. I may need it. But if you’re telling me that every damn day, I’m not listening any longer. You’re simply trying to squeeze money out of me, and I have enough competition for my cash.

Don’t regularly solicit buyer feedback. Had this and other marketers asked for my opinion on occasion, they may have avoided losing me as a potential buyer. It takes no time at all to include in that barrage of emails a link to an anonymous survey. Ask for specific feedback on how frequently they want to hear from you, how that lines up with how often you’re contacting them now, and if the message you’re sending is relevant.

Writers, what kinds of marketing has turned you off lately?