Don't Spam!

It's amazing to me how many businesses have a marketing strategy that just shoves promotional material down the throats of potential customers. Let me explain.

The other day my wife and I were at a movie. When we came out there was a team of three or four people putting flyers under the windshield wipers of the cars in the movie theatre parking lot. You could see person after person approaching their car, grabbing the flyer, and throwing it on the ground. Some people glanced at it, but most just threw it out.

Spam is a word that we think of when we're talking about unsolicited emails, but it also applies in a number of other situations. Putting flyers on vehicles is a form of spam. Calling me at home to see if I want to apply for a line of credit is spam. Generic messages in Facebook groups are spam. Doorhangers are spam. Posting unrelated comments on blogs is spam.

Businesses have to remember that the delivery is just as important as the message. There are proper channels to go through if you want your message to be received by your target audience. Don't just load a bunch of marketing material into a shotgun and let it fly.

Your customers are smarter than that.