Marketing Blunder: Is This Any Way To Market Your Business?

I often talk about the importance of keeping your message about “them” (your ideal clients), and not focus on “you”. Prospective clients are much more interested in themselves and their problems than they are in reading about how great you are. But some people take this a little too far…

The other day I received a thick, white, unmarked envelope in the mail. My name and address were printed on a plain white mailing label, there was no return address. I could have just thrown it in the recycling bin, but for some reason, I decided to open it instead.

I didn’t know what to expect, but when I opened the envelope, I was shocked to find that anyone could make this big of a marketing blunder…

Inside were three articles, all about investments. One was a reprint from Inc., one from the Wall St. Journal, and the third from a trade publication I never heard of.

OK, I thought, the sender obviously sells investments, but there was absolutely no sign of who they were. No name, no business card, no letter, no website, no handwritten note or personal message, no nothing.

Finding it hard to believe that anyone would do this on purpose, I started to imagine all kinds of things…that this was part of a series of messages I would get, to peak my interest, a marketing blunder “strategy” so to speak? But really, it was unfathomable that someone would do this on purpose, perhaps a harried assistant stuffed the envelope and left something out without realizing it?

I may never know who sent this to me, but the moral of the story is, please don’t ever make this marketing blunder. Keep it about them, but do let us know who are you and where we can get in touch with you if we’re interested!

Have you come across an interesting marketing blunder recently?

Susan Martin, marketing blunder recipient