Many years ago the Wizard of Ads®, sometimes known as Roy H. Williams, published a best-selling business book in which he discussed the Twelve Most Common Mistakes in Advertising. His insights were praised by advertisers and advertising professionals alike. Eventually they were distilled into a widely circulated 45-minute video presentation, still available on DVD and as an instant video download on Amazon. For a business owner wanting to avoid common pitfalls and expensive advertising mistakes, it’s worth its weight in gold.

In the Monday Morning Memo of June 27, 2016, Williams introduces a shiny new compilation: the Ten Most Common Mistakes in Marketing. Reading it today, it strikes me not so much as a replacement for his earlier list but a refinement, prompted partially by the proliferation of social media (most notably Facebook, about which the Wizard has spoken in some detail here and here. In the latter memo, he referenced a detailed experiment that bluntly concluded “Facebook ads don’t work“).

Accordingly, the lead item in the Wizard’s new compilation is this:

1. Inappropriate Use of Social Media

The whole world is on FaceBook, but is that the right place for your product or service to be advertised? To get a clear idea of the kinds of offers that are working well on FaceBook, go to the Success Stories page at FaceBook.com. Judging from this list of success stories, it would appear that FaceBook works extremely well for getting people together socially, not so well for hard goods and services. (HINT: I think there may be a reason they call it “social” media.)

Other mistakes he notes in the new list include Over Confidence in the Value of Targeting, Assumption that Every Message is Relevant, Fear of Criticism, Unsubstantiated Claims, and Assuming the Decision-Maker is the Only Person You Need to Reach.  His observations, as usual, are spot-on.

Whatever your business, you should check out the Ten Most Common Mistakes in Marketing. You can download the .pdf version here.

You’re welcome.

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Rod Schwartz backed into a lifelong career in radio advertising in 1973 in Springfield, Illinois. He became sales manager for the Pullman Radio Group in 1979 and served in that position until 2006. He continues to serve clients in the region as the stations’ senior account executive. Since 1991, Rod and his family have operated Grace Broadcast Sales, providing short-form syndicated radio features to radio and TV stations across the U.S. and Canada. An avid photographer, Rod shares some of his favorite images of the Palouse at PalousePics.com.