Marketing mistakes

Mistakes are just a part of the human condition. Wall St. Watchdog reports that the average American worker makes 118 mistakes per year (read about the most common mistakes we make). But some mistakes are more far-reaching than others, and a mistake made in marketing can cost a company not only in revenue, but in reputation (just ask Peloton, they keep having to pull their ads). No doubt we’ve all seen ill-advised ad campaigns and poorly formatted communications.

How can you avoid making marketing mistakes? Here are 3 things to keep in mind:

• Avoid rush work: In our experience, errors are most likely to occur when everyone is in emergency mode. Slow down and take a breath – most likely whatever it is can wait until you are confident in what you are sending out.
• Avoid groupthink: Groupthink is a phenomenon that occurs when a group of well-intentioned people makes irrational or nonoptimal decisions spurred by the urge to conform or the belief that dissent is risky. You’re better off keeping the number of people involved in the process as small as possible. An added bonus – keeping it small will also up your productivity.
• Avoid version fatigue: Once you’ve looked at something for a long time, through several rounds of revisions, you’re highly likely to miss small mistakes. Make it your practice to always send your final version to someone who has never seen it to avoid those errors you are blind to.