7 Marketing Tactics to Avoid and Why

You have so many marketing tools available, but which ones should you avoid?

There’s a shift happening in online marketing these days, maybe you’ve noticed.

There are distinct differences in the effectiveness of two very different marketing methods. So why waste your time with one that isn’t as effective? I’m talking about interruptive vs. intent based marketing.

Just by the sound of the two, it should be obvious that the term “interruptive” conjures a negative response.

The primary focus of interruptive marketing is to seek new customers by means of advertising, promotions, public relations and sales.  Consumers are becoming more and more savvy about eliminating these daily distractions.

People these days are using horse blinder to block ads!

Ask yourself a few questions and test our hypothesis. Aside from the Super Bowl, when are TV Ads something you enjoy watching? Did you know that in prime time programing there can be up to a 7 minute break for commercials in between segments? With every show you watch, at least 32% is composed of commercials.

What about driving to work, do you ever listen to the radio? How often to you realize a commercial started and change the station? Or better yet, how many of you only listen to music with your Smartphone?

The days of interruptive marketing are coming to an end, and while they aren’t completely ineffective there are better ways to allocate those marketing dollars.

What’s the answer then? Intent based marketing targets the proper message delivery in the right place at the right time.

[Tweet “What’s wrong with traditional advertising? We give you 7 reasons why here…”]

Placing relevant information on platforms where people are looking for that specific product or service is very effective.

Let’s take the example of getting a flat tire. No one can avoid this in life, at some point it will happen! So when it does, what will you do?

Will you think back to that mailer you threw away? What was the name of that company??!! Or will you try to remember the jingle from the radio ad? No. You’ll pick up your phone, enter a keyword into the browser like “best tire prices” and read the business reviews.

In only a few minutes you’ll have followed the same process and have found a towing company. Problem solved, game over, decision made.

That’s the beauty of intent based marketing, it can be served in the right place at the right time with the most effective message. When people are ready to make a purchasing decision they come looking for you. How do they do that again? Online. What do you use to serve up that content? PPC Advertising.

With that said I now implore you to do something different, something that doesn’t compete against all the advertising messages you get bombarded with on a daily basis (shameless plug for PPC Advertising).

We are here to warn and help you steer clear of that beautiful bright advertising light. Because before you know it, zap! You’ve spent a bunch of money with little or nothing to show for it. So, here it is, the gospel truth…

 7 Marketing Tactics to Avoid

#1 Marketing Tactic To Avoid –  Telemarketing

Have you ever heard of the “Do Not Call Registry“? Anytime the majority of the public agrees to shut down a form of advertising,(with government assistance) it’s time to stop.

The Problem: I like eating dinner, I hate being interrupted. This tactic places no focus on timing, when it comes to Telemarketing, the right time doesn’t exist and please don’t make my food cold.

Chuck Norris never gets telemarketing calls (source)

#2 Marketing Tactic To Avoid – Mailers

I hope all of you recycle because Blake Shelton is going into the blue bin, and with him, the death of many trees.

The Problem: Most people sort though the mail for important pieces of information like bills, credit cards, and bank notices. I’m usually not hungry or looking to make a purchase when sorting though junk mail. And yes, I know this is a digital ad, but I didn’t save the mailer to take a picture since it was the first thing to go in the trash.

You creep me out Blake Shelton!

#3 Marketing Tactic To Avoid –  Sign Twirling

Wow, that’s amazing! I still can’t believe this doesn’t cause more distracted driver crashes.

The Problem: First, people never have an idea which business this tactic is promoting. There isn’t a direct association with the message on the sign and what a consumer is supposed to do (no call to action).

So, congratulations that’s really cool, but completely untrackable waste of money.

Good luck reading that sign (source)

[Tweet “Save your precious marketing dollars and stop your sign twirling asap. #PPC”]

#4 Marketing Tactic To Avoid –  Inflatables

I know twerking is all the rage these days, but exploiting your inflatable employee, that’s just low. (To the floor low.)

The Problem: You might be thinking this investment is about to pay off big time! But with all the other elements flighting for consumer attention this also becomes lost in the mix. Conserve some power, and keep your dignity :).

If you can get your inflatables to do this, then you’re doing it right.

#5 Marketing Tactic To Avoid –  Radio Ads

Did you know that listening to the radio kills? Alright, you caught me, I just wanted to get your attention.

The Problem: The radio demands your attention too, and so does… The person flipping you off, a phone call, the kids in the back seat, and rainbows. Is that where you want to spend precious ad dollars; when people are distracted? Put the breaks on that radio buy, before the airbag deploys.

You got 17 things going on in the car (source)

[Tweet “Ever gotten lucky with interruption marketing? Here are 7 reasons why you should avoid them.”]

#6 Marketing Tactic To Avoid –  TV Ads

What makes us think the current TV advertising format will even exists in the next few years? There are too many disruptive platforms for things to not change. (Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime)

The Problem: TV Advertising had one foot in the grave upon the invention of the DVR. Now 53% of Americans are watching streaming content online. The percentage of people watching live TV with commercials is steadily declining. If you knew the Titanic was going to sink, would you have purchased a ticket? Stay above water, avoid big package TV media buys.

Nobody enjoys commercials while watching Dancing With the Stars (source)

#7 Marketing Tactic To Avoid – Billboards

I actually LOVE billboards. People need to understand they have their place. If you are promoting an event, branding your company, or looking to hire, billboards are a great solution.

The Problem: For the most part, billboards are still too expensive and their sales model is outdated. Imagine if you could track leads from a billboard and in turn they offered a pay for performance model?

This won’t be happening in the near future, but you know where that model works well? PPC Advertising, that sounds like money well spent ;).

Nice billboards require nice budgets (source)

Have any other marketing tactics you think need a good bashing? Let me know!