Don’t market like a shrinking violet!

One of the biggest marketing mistakes made by business owners is that they market like they’re shrinking violets!

Marketing is a critical part of any business but  often the most overlooked.

Let’s look at the three mega marketing mistakes I see most often:

1. Scattergun Marketing

This is the biggest mistake of all.  So called scattergun marketing is where we have no idea who we’re marketing or aiming at.  Now you know why I get worked up about websites which are bland, speak to nobody in particular and so fail to get many bookings.

Your marketing messages must absolutely target your Perfect Patient or they will fall on deaf ears!  Phrases like ‘we treat everyone’ or ‘we treat babies to nonagenarians’ is not resonating with anybody at all!  Not only that but I don’t know many babies or 90 year olds who spend much time on the internet…

It is critical that you know your Perfect Patient inside out.  Only then can you speak so that they hear your marketing messages.  There’s so much noise out there on the web that you must elicit an ‘oh my goodness, that’s me!’ sort of reaction.  Don’t forget that targeted marketing never means that you turn anyone else away. Despite me marketing only to Osteopaths, I am regularly contacted by others such as psychotherapists and physios who can see the value of working with me.

2.  Hit and Miss

This kind of marketing mistake creates no impact whatsoever.  Posting a couple of Tweets on a Monday and then not going back for a fortnight will not bring results.  Random blogs do not work either.  Newsletters which are sent out willy nilly will fail to maintain interest.

The key to successful marketing is always to be consistent and persistent.  So decide when your newsletter goes out and if that’s on the first of the month, make it happen every single month!  Even bi-monthly is better than nothing as long as it’s consistently done.  The point of marketing is to create a buzz and get attention and so therefore it must be regular to succeed.

People are busy.  You might think that two social media posts per week is pushing your luck but, believe me, most people will not see them!  Those social media news feeds scroll round at an astonishing rate.  Post twice as much as you think is enough.  And then some.

3.  Wrong Targets

This is one of the most common marketing mistakes and is where a business is only present on social media sites that they like.  Or on none at all!

The same applies in the real world where we’re hanging out in all the places where our Perfect Patients are not!  You cannot market to everyone and therefore you must know where exactly you will find your target market.  Only then will what you are saying connect with them and result in them taking the action you want.

So choose two or three places where you regularly post links to your blogs to create traffic back to your website.

In fact all the elements mentioned here are covered in monthly topics over in my online Osteobiz Inner Circle.  This is a great way to steadily learn about all the elements you need to grow your successful business.  We have a wonderfully supportive Facebook group, full of people just like you, where you can get all your questions answered.

You may well be surprised to discover that it takes between 5 and 27 ‘touches’ before someone decides to buy from you.  A touch can be a Facebook post, a newsletter, a blog or even someone talking about you.  Bearing in mind that something like 80% of the people I talk to have no idea what Osteopathy is, don’t you think it’s time to get out there and do some megaphone marketing?  You can borrow mine…