Does your Marketing Resemble Mystery Meat?

Generally speaking, we all like (good) surprises.

But I’d wager that you don’t welcome surprises when it comes to your food.

Possibly you have vague childhood memories of being presented with seemingly edible selections only to be left gazing over your plate in hopeless desperation … wishing it would all just disappear.

Or you’ve observed other children when presented with unappealing food. Soon to follow is the involuntary scowl, followed by “Yuck!,” crossing of the arms, and a twisted face that signals utter disgust.

But as adults, we’ve become a bit more polite with our distaste.

Have you attended a dinner party with a fanciful selection of everything except what you actually wanted to eat? Or perhaps you’ve visited a new restaurant only to find yourself helplessly pushing the food around on your plate.

It is experiences like these that leave many of us a bit wary of what we’ve actually been served.

Are You Serving up Marketing Mysteries?

Was it mystery meat?

You know — meat that looks like it, smells like it and even feels like it but we all know … it’s not “it!” The type of food that leaves you contemplating what “it” actually is.

Now, take a close look at your marketing.

Could your customers face the same dilemma? Without knowing it, are you serving up marketing communications that resemble mystery meat – confusing, indigestible and dissatisfying?

Let’s find out.

Here are three marketing mistakes you could be making and how you can immediately fix them.

1. What exactly is this?

What happens when you’re served something that doesn’t look right? It takes more work, more questions, and most likely — you won’t eat it. The same is true for marketing.

If you can’t summarize exactly who you are and what you do in a brief, elevator pitch it’s likely that some of your customers may correlate your marketing efforts with “mystery meat.”

We’ve all been guilty of making seemingly simple concepts more complicated than necessary. Sure, it sounds eloquent, but your marketing materials may leave customers confused and create unnecessary barriers to trial and purchase.

John Ostman, VP of Sales and Marketing at Snap Agency, suggests that you tell customers why you’re better and keep it simple. For example, “Our product (or service) is for _________, so that _________.” In one sentence, you’ve answered a) the audience intended and b) the problem solved.