.bodytext {float: left; } .floatimg-left-hort { float:left; margin-top:10px; margin-right: 10px; width:300px; clear:left;} .floatimg-left-caption-hort { float:left; margin-bottom:10px; width:300px; margin-right:10px; clear:left;} .floatimg-left-vert { float:left; margin-top:10px; margin-right:15px; width:200px;} .floatimg-left-caption-vert { float:left; margin-right:10px; margin-bottom:10px; font-size: 10px; width:200px;} .floatimg-right-hort { float:right; margin-top:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 300px;} .floatimg-right-caption-hort { float:left; margin-right:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 300px; font-size: 10px; } .floatimg-right-vert { float:right; margin-top:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 200px;} .floatimg-right-caption-vert { float:left; margin-right:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 200px; font-size: 10px; } .floatimgright-sidebar { float:right; margin-top:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 200px; border-top-style: double; border-top-color: black; border-bottom-style: double; border-bottom-color: black;} .floatimgright-sidebar p { line-height: 115%; text-indent: 10px; } .floatimgright-sidebar h4 { font-variant:small-caps; } .pullquote { float:right; margin-top:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 150px; background: url(http://www.dmbusinessdaily.com/DAILY/editorial/extras/closequote.gif) no-repeat bottom right !important ; line-height: 150%; font-size: 125%; border-top: 1px solid; border-bottom: 1px solid;} .floatvidleft { float:left; margin-bottom:10px; width:325px; margin-right:10px; clear:left;} .floatvidright { float:right; margin-bottom:10px; width:325px; margin-right:10px; clear:left;} Here are some of the leading causes of advertising/marketing failure. Be wary if you spot some of these conditions in your work.

• The need for instant gratification. Marketing is about mind share. You don’t earn that instantaneously. It is a process and a part of a long-term plan. Remember, you need to create 8-13 impressions before your prospect is even going to notice you.

• Stretching the budget to reach more people than you can afford to effectively reach. Do it well or save your money. Don’t spread your media buy or marketing tactics so thin that you can’t afford to repeat them liberally.

• Thinking that the business owner’s perceptions are unbiased and accurate. Owners are inside looking out. You can’t possibly be objective when it comes to your own business. It is the marketplace’s perceptions that should carry the most weight. Want to know the truth? Ask your customers.

• Promises with no backup. Best service. Lowest prices. Highest quality. Be very wary of using hype and boastful language. Be careful what you promise. If you overdo it, your consumers will know it.

• Funny ads. No sales. We’ve all seen it. The funny TV spot we tell everyone about but can’t remember the brand name of the product. It can’t just be creative. It also needs to be on strategy. Otherwise, you are entertaining the audience, not winning their business.

These all seem pretty obvious, don’t they? But it’s easy to get caught by any one of them. Take a few minutes to re-examine your marketing tools.

Any signs that you might be whipping up a plateful of failure?

Drew McLellan is Top Dog at McLellan Marketing Group and blogs at www.drewsmarketingminute.com. He can be reached at Drew@MclellanMarketing.com. © 2007 Drew McLellan