Why Marketing Trends May Fail You

What I’m reading: Fates & Furies by Lauren Groff
What’s on the iPod: Skinny Love by Birdy

You can tell the holiday season is approaching. Weekends are starting to book up with events (even weekdays — we have an event tonight). Trying to fit it all in becomes a bit of a juggle, but I love it. We spent this last weekend (probably the only free weekend we’ll have for a while) walking. We took advantage of a sunny, cool day and managed just over five miles in one of the state parks nearby.

Now back to work.

We talked last week about the 4 marketing mistakes that could sink our best efforts. At one point I mentioned marketing trends. To me, marketing trends can be great–until they’re awful.

Let me explain. It’s like any good thing. It works, so more people decide “I’ll try that!” and for a while, it works for them, too. Then more people, and still more….and pretty soon that trend is tired, stale, overused and boring.

It’s become cliche, which is clearly not what you want from a marketing plan.

You’ve seen the signs already, I’m sure — this course/webinar/workshop is full, so get on the (imaginary) waiting list (where voila! a space just opened up!); hurry, just two seats left (for an online session that clearly has as many “seats” as one wants/can pay for); your private invitation/invitation for just a few select people (which has probably gone out to hundreds)…. it’s too much, too phony, and too desperate. Does it work? Sure. But think how much better it works when you apply these types of methods/messaging lightly (and honestly).

Case in point — currently, I receive regular email marketing from two different entities. One email comes in periodically, offers some great (free) advice, and includes a link to a paid offer, which I’ve taken advantage of once or twice. Why I love it  — the marketer understands how to appeal to the audience. Give value first, then offer more for a price. Nothing wrong with that, right? Plus, the messages come once a month — infrequently enough that every time one comes in, I open it.

Conversely, the second email comes in three to five times every week. To be fair, I get two emails from this marketer on a regular, weekly basis….until I click on a link. Then suddenly the floodgates open and the emails increase in frequency. While the emails will, on occasion, offer free advice (links to recordings, blog posts, etc.), the majority of the emails are flat-out sales attempts. While that’s okay, the frequency coupled with the “One last chance!” type of messaging, which does work if applied correctly, has me groaning every time I see yet another email. This company may have something of value to me, but I’ve stopped listening. Ironically, this marketer is also offering value first, then more for a price. However, the message is so frequent and “urgent” and “Hey, don’t forget” that I’ve lost interest.

And before you say “But Lori, marketing is about following up on warm leads!”, know that in both cases, I am the target audience — I’m the potential customer. In Case #1, I’m eager to see what’s been sent. In Case #2, I have actually said out loud, “Seriously? Enough already!”

Yes, I’ve purchased from both entities. No, I’m no longer interested in entity 2, despite the company having what I need. And forget adjusting message frequency — the options are subscribe/unsubscribe. The latter is about to happen.

In my marketing courses at college, I learned how to do exactly as both of these marketers are doing. Offer something for free, collect contact info, then follow through with a paid offer later on. Warm contacts are especially great as these are people who have just expressed interest. They came to you. And those are the people you want to concentrate on for follow-up conversion.

But it’s a dance. You can’t grab this new person by the arm, drag them to the dance floor, then attempt to tango. You have to build trust. Why should I trust someone who has sent me one email offering something free, then hounded me to spend oodles of money on the real product? If it’s that good, you won’t need to hound.

The same goes for our writing services. I get writers asking quite often “How do I give them my price without chasing them away?”

You can’t. You can never guarantee that the person you’re contacting will buy, let alone buy at your price. You can do one thing only — present your background and your price, and stop talking.

Had marketer #2 stopped talking, and maybe sent one reminder instead of five, there’s a really good chance I’d have bought. However, the more this entity got in touch, the less confidence I had in the service. The perception was this marketing method was an example of the material I’d be purchasing, and since I didn’t appreciate it, I wasn’t sold.

It’s okay to try a trend if you think it fits with what you’re offering, how you’re offering it, and to whom you’re offering. But ask yourself these questions:

• Is my message, including frequency, in line with my image?
• Is my audience going to be receptive to the marketing/delivery method I’ve chosen?
• Am I sending a message of value or of desperation?
• Am I being honest, or am I using deceptive wording to create a sense of urgency?