Be untruthful (unintentionally works just as well as intentionally)

 

There aren’t many quicker ways to getting yourself blackballed by consumers than by misleading them in one way or another. You’ll also quickly get yourself in hot water with the Federal Trade Commission, which holds marketers and advertising agencies accountable for any and all marketing claims they make.

 

Case in point: In 2012, Nutella maker Ferrero USA, Inc. paid out $3.05 million as part of a settlement for a class action lawsuit filed by a parent who told CBS News, “[I] was duped into believing it was good for [my] kids.” Advertisements claimed Nutella could be part of a “healthy breakfast,” though in reality a single serving contains 200 calories, 21 grams of sugar, and 11 grams of fat. “Nutella was in fact not a ‘healthy’ ‘nutritious’ food,” the parent said,” but instead was the next best thing to a candy bar.”

 

Every claim you make on the web will spread like wildfire, so be sure you fact check before pressing “send,” “post,” or “tweet.”

 

Ignore social media

 

Having a Facebook page and a Pinterest profile and a Twitter site won’t guarantee you massive dividends, but they will show you’re staying with the times. If people want to connect with you via social media platforms, they should be able to do so easily. If your site doesn’t come up when a customer asks Siri to look for you, their business will go to someone else. Organic reach of social media is, admittedly, low, but it’s far from negligible.

 

In addition to helping consumers find you, social media helps you pinpoint who your true audience is.  Steve Olenski, a member of the editorial board of the Journal of Digital & Social Media Marketing explained, “These types of online communities allow a company to better identify their audience, and create marketing content which closely aligns with the needs of their customers.”

 

Neglect the advancement of your mobile marketing strategies

 

With the mobile market getting bigger every day, only marketers who truly want to fail would neglect updating their apps or ensuring their web pages are mobile friendly. If you have the extra spending money and haven’t done so already, 2015 would be a great time to create your own mobile app users can download to their devices and then use to make their experience with your brand more enjoyable.

 

One thing consumers love more than apps: coupons. So combine the two. “By giving customers rewards through customer referral and loyalty programs,” Olenski said, “you’re incentivizing your customer base to spread the word and keep coming back for the products they love.

 

Marketing News brought to you by ClickToCallMarket.com


Sources:
forbes.com/sites/steveolenski/2015/01/01/3-ways-to-kill-it-with-socially-responsible-marketing/cbsnews.com/news/nutella-health-claims-net-305-million-settlement-in-class-action-lawsuit/


Tags: marketing fail, online marketing, advertising agencies, nutella lawsuit, facebook, pinterest, twitter, social media, audience, digital marketing, mobile marketing, marketing strategies