Is There Such a Thing as Too Much Marketing?

Written by Tina Samuels

Read the July Edition of Business Review Australia here

Marketing is essential to getting your business noticed, but there does come a point when it becomes too much.

If you overdo, especially in the beginning, it turns people off and suddenly you are losing likes, followers, fans or even customers.

With social media especially, you need to find a healthy balance between using it regularly, but not over-selling yourself to the point other people become annoyed by it.

The Dangers of Too Much Marketing

The first thing to learn is that yes, there is such thing as too much marketing.

Whether it’s stuffing too many links in your guest blog posts or updating your Twitter a little too often, people get annoyed by marketing too much. When you run a business, you want to market your business, but also appear professional

If you’re overdoing it, it causes people not to want to pay as much attention, because all you do is self-promote. Be careful about how much you’re sharing and how often.

A good way to figure out if you’re in danger of losing customers or followers, is looking at your interactions.

Do you notice a decline in likes, shares, retweets or comments? This is usually an indication of being blocked, or not posting anything useful to others. Pay attention to these signs.

How Much is Too Much?

It is important to note the difference between posting something of value or something that is insignificant.

There is nothing wrong with updating your Twitter feed 20 times a day, as long as you’re sharing 20 helpful and informative updates, and not just talking about your business in 20 different ways.

The repetition of the same dull information is what turns people off. So how much is too much?

There is no set number of how often to market your business or in how many different outlets.

Probably nobody wants to see your billboard every time they turn a corner in their city; this is too much for local advertising. The same can be said for every marketing outlet.

Tips for Keeping it Balanced

• Start by scheduling updates on social media networks -  Twitter, Facebook and Google+ all allow for scheduled posts. Space out the posts you put on each platform, and don’t post the same thing on Twitter that you posted 10 minutes ago on Facebook. Schedule them several hours apart, and try to mix them up.
• Talk about your business 10% of the time – Another social media tip is only talking about your business, products and services about 10 percent of the time. The rest should be commenting, liking, following, sharing and interacting.
• Don’t bombard customers with marketing materials – It’s good to send coupons or notices when sending a product to a customer, but don’t send them a packet filled with information about your company, new products, new brochures and event announcements. This is too much. Be subtle about this form of marketing.
• Change your ads – Whether it’s an online ad, print advertising or billboard, change it up every once in awhile. Nobody wants to see the same exact ad in 20 different places.

So, what’s the right mix of marketing for your business?

About the Author

Tina Samuels writes on Steve Wynn, social media, Lindsay Rosenwald, and small business topics.