Hunger for success can lead to very common mistakes in entrepreneurial marketing. Here we have a collection of bad practices that are, unfortunately, very popular. We recommend to avoid these strategies and tactics, not only because they do not work, but also because they can be harmful to your business and your brand image.
Sending spam to our contacts
Firstly “marketing action”, inexperienced entrepreneurs tend to promote their startup among their contacts network, which could be a good idea if we have relatives and friends who happen to be potential clients. Most of the time it is not the case, and our misplaced insistence annoys. One of the bases of good entrepreneurial marketing is to define our target market with precision and to address our communication to that specific target.
Creating illegal databases
Another common practice is collecting email addresses and creating databases with personal information without the consent of the people involved. In many countries this is an illegal activity. If we want to create an email list for our newsletters, people have to sign up voluntarily. The managing of personal information is restricted by the right of habeas data, that allows citizens to find out what personal information is held in private databases, as well as to request modification, updating or destruction of any of that information.
Spamming on social networks
Besides bothering their acquaintances, some small entrepreneurs also post links or comments on popular fan pages, or they write to random people on Twitter. In some cases it could be a valid practice, but only when the content is pertinent and in some degree requested by the audience. Repeated or automated messages are considered spam and users committing this kind of activities on social networks could have their accounts banned.
Spam on blogs and forums
Likewise, blogs and forums are a common media for spam propagation. Contributing with pertinent and relevant content is recommendable, but any excess is spam. Writing content on blogs and forums could be a good avenue for backlinks, but it is important to check the platform policies before posting to know what can and cannot be done. There are many different views on what spam is, and some are more tolerant than others to advertising. For example, some websites might allow advertising but not external links. Others could allow links but only when they are not an obvious ad. Others might allow any kind of promotion.
Creating personal profiles with brand names
Social networks usually offer different features to people and companies. For example, both Facebook and Linkedin make a clear distinction between a personal profile and a company page. Using a personal profile for a brand could result in an account suspension. Surprisingly, not only small entrepreneurs but also big companies make this mistake.