Ten Suspect Marketing Tactics

10 SUSPECT markETing TaCTiCS

W www.nextmarketing.com.auP 03 8060 8544E info@nextmarketing.com.au

Here are 10 suspect marketing tactics that all businesses should avoid.

SeriouS about building your

brand?

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Everyone is looking for a way to market themselves

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The right marketing strategy can help your business grow

great marketing comeS from

creativity, innovation and engaging your audience.

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Not from misleading or annoying your customers

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Make sure your marketing doesn’t put people off

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By avoiding the following ...

10markETing TaCTiCS that won’t do your business any favours.

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Limited edition products or one-time offers…

TacTic 1.

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which you then repeat...

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Although it may seem harmless, your customers will know

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and they will feel deceived

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Vagueness about product price or information

TacTic 2.

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Although asking potential customers to contact you for more information may seem like a way to start building a

relationship

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In reality most people are busy and want information quickly...

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If the information they need isn’t there at the time they want it

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They may move on and you will miss out

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Presumptive marketing manoeuvres

TacTic 3.

If you really want to annoy your customers and put them on the defensive…

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Act like they havealready agreed

to buy something when they haven’t

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Over inflate the value of your product or service

TacTic 4.

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Grossly exaggerate the pre-discount price of a product on special offer

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… Sneaky ways to make it seem like the customer is getting a better deal

But it isn’t going to

convince them to trust you

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Turn obvious product features into ‘benefits’

TacTic 5.

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Lollies have always been fat free...

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Dairy products have always contained calcium, and they always will

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These ‘benefits’ are often promoted while disadvantages like sugar and fat are ignored.

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Special offers that aren’t really special

TacTic 6.

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Taking a few cents off the purchase price and calling it a ‘special offer’

doesn’t make it a good deal

There are better ways to getyour customers’ attention

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Fake product reviews

TacTic 7.

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Paying someone to write good reviews about your business is a very dodgy way to make

yourself look good

Why not just offer a great product or service?

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Fake product reviews often go hand in hand with fake Facebook followers...

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If you want to succeed in the long term,

you need to build a genuine brand with real

customers

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Using meaningless terminology

TacTic 8.

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Does anybody actually know what ‘natural’ means?

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What about ‘organic’?

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Using unclear or generic selling points to promote your product

does not help you build a unique and individual brand.

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It can also be misleading to customers

?

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Accosting people on the street

TacTic 9.

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Do you enjoy being heckled by charity fundraisers when you are

crossing the road?

Then don’t do it to your customers

!

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Overly complicated or misleading loyalty schemes

TacTic 10.

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Do you have a loyalty program for your customers?

Do they get real benefits or is it just a way to collectinformation about them?

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If your loyalty program has too many rules, or too few rewards, it could end up annoying your

customers rather than benefiting them.

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Successful marketing is about building a relationship with your customers

Remember:

Not tricking or pressuring them into buying your product

xx x

x

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Using disreputable marketing tactics makes your business look

untrustworthy and dishonest - so don’t do it.

W www.nextmarketing.com.auP 03 8060 8544E info@nextmarketing.com.au