Partner Article

Seven deadly sins to ditch in 2015

If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get you’ve always gotten, as the saying goes.

January is a perfect time to reflect and review the last twelve month’s marketing activity, understanding what did or didn’t work, ahead of re-grouping and starting afresh for the year ahead. So start off on the right foot and ditch these seven deadly sins of marketing for success in the year ahead.

Pride - still talking about yourself?

It’s ok to shout about your successes a little, but companies who do nothing but sell, sell, sell, are going get ignored, dismissed and overlooked by consumers and prospects.

The best marketing is that which is useful or entertaining, and it must always of interest to your customers’ lives or their business. Deliver helpful tutorials or advice pieces, provide insights and opinion or offer up a simple solution to a FAQ with no ulterior motive. This non-promotional content becomes shareable, extending both your brand and your expertise.

Wrath – don’t get angry over missed opportunities

This year, embrace natural storytelling opportunities head on. Map out 2015 month by month, taking business objectives, holidays, seasons, anniversaries and editorial calendars into consideration. Start by inserting recurring events and milestones, then add in new ones that allow you to broaden your PR approach.

Factor video into your marketing plan and embrace vlogging, video news releases or short shareable video tips. Google likes video (it owns YouTube!) so it’ll aid your digital visibility if you regularly create and share short videos in your marketing and PR strategy.

Greed – share the pie

Good marketing has never been more human and gaining trust is vitally important to your PR strategy. Millennials are increasingly aware of the impact their buying choices can have and they want to buy from organisations that are doing what they consider the right thing.

Embedding Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in your business strategy and taking the time to give back to communities, charities and organisations will draw people to you for the right reasons - emotional purchases start with whether customers ‘like’ your brand.

Lust – blog on

Don’t lust after your competitor’s digital connections, make 2015 the year you develop your online media relations. The influence of bloggers and tweeters is expanding and will continue to do so as far as we can see. Form and strengthen long-term relationships with key online influencers in 2015 or stay a year behind.

Sloth – don’t ignore feedback

Are you guilty of not fully appreciating customer feedback or just glancing at research reports?

If you think you know your customer, chances are you don’t. In 2015, resolve to take the time to listen and truly understand your customers, how they use your company or service and what they want from you in the future. And, don’t be afraid to ask questions, customers are more than likely to appreciate your efforts to understand how you can better the service you provide to them.

Gluttony - ditch the junk

Don’t be greedy, decide which marketing platforms are right for both your brand and your customers rather than consuming everything.

For example, you don’t need to be present on every social site to simply put a brand name to an online face, and instead focus time and energy into building a personable presence on platforms that will be seen and heard by the people you want to. Do the same with your PR and content marketing – only send out great stuff if you expect people to share it.

Envy - dust off your website

Find yourself turning into the green-eyed monster when you see competitors’ websites? In 2015 take action and not only update your website, but think about re-hauling to make it the go-to site for your customers and potential future customers.

Understand how search engines work and use this to your advantage. Include unique and frequently updated content and keep your blog both relevant and interesting – if you don’t know what to write, ask a great PR agency to help you!

For further details on how O PR can work with you to banish your seven deadly marketing sins in 2015, please visit www.opr.co.uk

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by O Communications .