7 Deadly Sins of Marketing You Must Avoid

Marketing is not a short-term endeavor. Marketing, like a marathon, is done over the long-term with a commitment and a strategy. You should be marketing and advertising for as long as you plan to be in business and, yes, sometimes marketing and advertising does not yield immediate results. However, in economic times like these, business owners look at their bottom lines and want immediate, instant results. For many business owners who may look at flat as the new up, the now is more important than the future. But it shouldn't be.

          You should be marketing and advertising for as long as you plan to be in business

Recently, I saw a blog by marketing guru Seth Godin who wrote about 7 marketing sins business owners make. I thought it was worthy of sharing here. As you read the 7 marketing sins, ask yourself how many marketing sins are you guilty of committing and what you're willing to do to correct it/them.

1. Impatient... great marketing takes time. Doing it wrong (and rushed) ten times costs much more and takes longer than doing it slowly, but right, over the same period of time.

2. Selfish... we have a choice, and if we sense that this is all about you, not us, our choice will be to go somewhere else.

3. Self-absorbed... you don't buy from you, others buy from you. They don't care about your business and your troubles nearly as much as you do.

4. Deceitful... see selfish, above. If you don't tell us the truth, it's probably because you're selfish. How urgent can your needs be that you would sacrifice your future to get something now?

5. Inconsistent... we're not paying that much attention, but when we do, it helps if you are similar to the voice we heard from last time.

6. Angry... at us? Why are you angry at us? It's not something we want to be part of, thanks.

7. Jealous... is someone doing better than you? Of course they are. There's always someone doing better than you. But if you let your jealousy change your products or your attitude or your story, we're going to leave.

Of course, they're not marketing sins, they're human failings. Humility, empathy, generosity, patience and kindness, combined with the arrogance of the brilliant inventor, are a potent alternative. Are you the brilliant inventor who does marketing with a passion, a plan, and a purpose, or are you flying by the seat of your pants and hoping things will improve? Examine your marketing strategy and see if you’re committing any of the seven sins. If you are, re-evaluate and implement a new strategy. If you need some help. I can help you as I have helped others.

---