THE 5 DUMB MISTAKES

Some Common mistakes That Occur In Ecommerce:-

Running a small business can be a risky endeavor, but you don't have to reinvent the wheel when it comes to marketing. Taken from The Reach Group's Free Agent Formula—created by Cheri Hanson, Lisa Johnson and Cassie Pruett—here are the top five mistakes made by entrepreneurs:

Creating a business that follows money instead of your strengths. Without a passion for your product or service, you're already at a disadvantage. Says Hanson: "If you're unhappy or out of sync with your natural strengths, you may be diluting your main marketing tool."

Matching your competitors instead of differentiating and finding your niche. "In so many industries, all the competitors are bobbing in a sea of sameness," Hanson correctly notes. "Get out of the dogfight by serving unmet needs."

Working one revenue stream instead of creating multi-faceted revenue models. From Hanson's perspective, this means operating like a larger company in which your entire income is not derived from the hours you work and the fee you charge.

Packaging products from your perspective, not that of your customers. Today's savvy consumers tune out spin and interruption. They're looking for something that adds tangible value to their lives, so focus on real solutions.

Waiting for established media to cover you instead of creating your own. "Publishing is the new PR," says Hanson. "Whether you create articles, checklists, resource guides, blogs, podcasts, video clips or quizzes, there's a content strategy to fit your communication style and business goals."

The Po!nt: Identify the pitfalls before you begin, and your business will stand a much better chance of finding success.

"At some point just about every marketer is bound to look at something that Apple is doing and wish they could have done it for their own brands," says Rohit Bhargava in a post at the Influential Marketing Blog. But, he argues, the company's success relies on more than the common attributes of innovative products and stylish marketing campaigns: "They do one thing that almost none of their competitors in any market can do … they control distribution."

Since Apple sells products and services directly to customers through its own stores and Web site, it has a number of inherent benefits:

* Employees stay on message because they have only one story to tell, and work in a brand-centric retail environment.
* In an Apple-only environment, a customer who goes into the store for a Mac won't leave with a Dell because they were distracted by promotions, sales pitches or packaging.
* Upselling becomes easier without direct competition—customers are more likely to throw in a $45 connector cable that would cost $5 elsewhere because that's what the store offers, and it won't seem an onerous add-on to their $499 purchase.
* Apple can control pricing and virtually eliminate discounts. "Not only does this allow for more consistency," he says, "it also gives you the ability to include pricing in your marketing materials and ads because you know it's the same price everywhere."

In a nifty bit of Marketing Inspiration, Rohit Bhargava reminds us to look beyond the obvious when analyzing a company's success, and invites us to reexamine our own distribution channels.

released on----- 23 September, 2008