Have you ever passed by a “bargain bin” sale and thought, “It’s in there for a reason, just keep walking!” Well, we did this week. And it got us thinking about $5 irregular t-shirts, movies that we could have lived without (yes, we’re talking about you Speed 2) and past-their-prime marketing tactics that deserve to be in the bargain bin when it comes to your business.
We asked the ODEA team to share some of the tactics they think should be left behind in our imagined marketing bargain bin!
Megan
Thinking a large email list is king
When it comes to email marketing, many organizations want the BIGGEST contact list they can get. But as so often the case in marketing, it’s actually more important to focus on quality rather than quantity. If you have a massive email list, you probably have lots of junk emails and your emails are probably going straight into spam folders. Instead, we should be focusing on talking to the right people and letting the not-so-right people unsubscribe.
Chelsi
Using clickbait for headlines
We’ve all searched online looking for information, found a search result that perfectly matched the keywords in our search and clicked on the article only to be disappointed! What gives? These misleading headlines draw you in, so you click them only to find a key-word stuffed post with little value. You may think the higher click rates are helping boost your content on Google but it will only hurt you in the long run. And piss off your visitors like me!
Sue
Annoying pop-up ads
When I click on something online, I’m really just wanting to read that article or look at the item that I’m pondering. I hate having to look for the little X (which sometimes is VERY hard to find for mature eyes!) to click out of the pop-up ad. Or having to click, “No thanks, I don’t want to save 10%” or “No, I don’t want to get smarter about (insert whatever the website is selling).” Please use pop-ups only if you have something seriously new or valuable to tell me. (And make that damn X bigger!)
Emil
Not interacting on social media
When a company, brand or musician post ads or announcements to their social media accounts and then either doesn’t interact or inconsistently interacts with the community. It’s like calling me on the phone and not wanting to have a conversation. Be human! It is so important to let your customers know real people are actually behind those posts and truly wanting to listen and interact.
Cailyn
“Open Immediately”
We’ve all received that piece of mail that has the bright red “Official” stamp on it and sometimes even includes the message “open immediately.” Before we can tear the envelope open our minds begin to race and wonder what on earth it could be? When we finally do pull out the very official, very important piece of mail we see that it’s only an advertisement… The bargain bin is too good for this tactic! LEAVE IT BEHIND!
Patty
Screaming at me on LinkedIn
One of my biggest marketing pet peeves – and yes, I have a lot of them! – is people who have their name in ALL CAPS in their LinkedIn profile. It used to be a favorite “hack” (another one of my pet peeves: Stop trying to “hack”) of social media so-called experts. It is the digital equivalent of walking into a meeting or a new business pitch and YELLING as you introduce yourself. This practice deserves to be banned entirely, not just put in the bargain bin.
JJ
Personalized emails without the personalization
If you’ve ever in your life had an email account, then you’ve probably received an email that started off “Hey (Insert Your Name Here)” and then went on to tell you about a great offer or product that company is trying to sell you. Great tactic. Where it goes wrong is when you receive an email that really says “Hey (Insert Your Name Here)” and they actually forget to insert your name. Oops! Let’s leave behind the personalized emails without the personalization and double, triple check those things before they go out!
Stephanie
Skewing an image or logo
I always cringe to see a logo or image that has been skewed to fit in a certain spot. Sometimes it is simply better to choose another image. Or there are lots of videos on YouTube to help you learn how to properly re-size an image to fit an area – or you can always email your friendly designer friend for help! But to maintain my sanity – please, please please stop skewing and stretching!!
Is there a marketing tactic you wish could be left behind in the bargain bin? Tell us about it at [email protected] or find us at www.teamodea.com.