Friday the 13th always seems to trigger conversations surrounding our biggest fears. The fear that a killer clown is lurking in the hallway, a weekend camping trip is under siege by a crazy ax-murdering phantom, or maybe you have a case of friggatriskaidekaphobia... the fear of Friday the 13th! According to the Stress Management Center and Phobia Institute, an estimated 17 to 21 million people in the United States are affected by a fear of this day, making it the most feared day and date in history. Some people are so paralyzed by fear that they avoid their normal routines in doing business, taking flights, or even getting out of bed.
For those of us who live and breathe marketing, we have some fears that leave us reaching for a night-light. Cue the horror movie soundtrack...
13 of Our Scary Marketing and Sales Nightmares
- Not providing relevant resources. Granting information, standards, and best practices to members is extremely important — make sure your association website and members-only section is up to date.
- Promoting a product or service without creating a plan.
- Adding your organization to every social media site available. Not every site is the right fit for your audience!
- Making promises you can't/don't/won
't keep. - Not educating your staff about relevant promotions. If you are in an active marketing cycle (ex: Annual Meeting) all staff should be able to answer basic questions.
- Lack of communication with members. Don’t leave the most important people of your association in the dark!
- Not involving key stakeholders, such as members and industry supporters, in organizational decisions.
- Overusing cliches and "fluffy" marketing language. Get right to the point and share the information that the targeted recipient needs and wants to hear.
- Taking industry supporters (sponsors and exhibitors) for granted.
- Having great content and valuable information and making the assumption that your members know where to find it.
- Not doing any research about your membership, competition, or overall industry before putting together a marketing plan.
- Not targeting your benefits or messaging to all relevant members segments.
- Not having a specialist on staff dedicated to sales or marketing functions.
AH’s Marketing and Sales team is happy to help you avoid these scenarios. If you want to relinquish some of your marketing and sales nightmares and are interested in more information, contact us today at marcom@ahint.com.
