10 Small Business Marketing Mistakes

[mandy]

2 part article:

I work with several small businesses, and there are enough miscues out there in the marketing world that they warrant a quick rundown...

#7. Being Deaf
You're the business owner, which means you know exactly what your customers want, right? Are you sure? Are you sending out surveys or collecting comment cards and stuffing them in a drawer somewhere? Do you have a feedback form on your website? Do you insist on having your employees talk to customers about how they found you or what they like or what challenges they're having with your product or service? And then the million dollar question: What are you doing with the information once you have it?

To atone for being deaf: Start listening closely. If you get comment cards, read them, and don't dismiss the negative ones out of hand. Respond to the feedback emails you get - personally - and thank your site visitors for taking the time to share their feedback. And pay attention to the trends. One person lamenting that your return policy is too strict is one thing. A cadre of frustrated people might be pointing out something you need to fix...

full article, part 1: http://thebrandbox.blogspot.com/2008/06/...scues.html
part 2: http://thebrandbox.blogspot.com/2008/06/...l-biz.html