Many times when looking through newspapers and magazines or even junk mail you might stumble upon an expensive-looking advertisement as part of an IT marketing plan for another company like yours and wonder, “How can I market my business without spending big money?”  

What you need to remember is, just because an ad is expensive-looking doesn’t mean it’s an effective IT marketing plan.

IT Marketing Requires Good Positioning

Many times you will see an ad for IT marketing that is beautifully done and obviously incredibly expensive, but it will be horribly placed in the publication and its message is all wrong.  The following IT marketing mistakes are often made by professionals when creating ads for their businesses:

1.    The ad fails to offer unique benefits in its headline.  What can you offer that no one else can?  What will appeal to your target audience?  If you don’t get at this succinctly and clearly with a good headline, you will not get the right kind of attention or any attention at all; you’re wasting your money.

2.    The ad mentions pricing.  Mentioning a low price or a bargain price will simply attract customers looking for the lowest price rather than the best services.  They will most likely view you as a commodity rather than a valuable resource.

Classic IT Marketing Mistakes:

1.    Your IT marketing plan has no target.  You may be trying to go after seven million local small businesses, but it is still seven million local small businesses, and that’s too many!  Sometimes not having a target as part of an IT marketing campaign will even attract those that are not small businesses and you will find yourself going to retrieve a stuck AOL disk out of someone’s hard drive or repair a $79 desk jet printer.  

2.    Your IT marketing strategy mentions price, and one that is not even sustainable for the long term.  You have to set your price high enough so you can survive, yet low enough so it seems reasonable for the types of small businesses that will be able to pay you for support.

3.    Your IT marketing strategy illuminates no original services.  You have to find something that will help you be unique, and this will mean narrowing focus and specialization.

Added By:  Computer Consulting 101 Professional Kit