I'm starting with the DON'Ts as the following are all pet peeves for me and - I'm pretty sure - for most of you also. How can a marketing technique that seriously irritates its target market truly be deemed successful? Hence, a few DON'Ts.

DON'T:

1. Cold call potential customers by phone, be deliberately evasive about the purpose of your call - sticking to a 'script' and evading the recipient's questions - and then pressure them to commit on the phone, immediately.

This is wrong on so many levels. I've no doubt it sometimes works, but at what cost? Nothing annoys me more, when I'm busy trying to meet a deadline, than picking up the phone to deal with a sales pitch that doesn't even own up to being a sales pitch until the caller has wasted several minutes of my time (and then being asked to explain why I am not interested!). These calls are dishonest, time wasting and a serious annoyance - please, don't try this one!

2. Bombard previous or existing customers with endless emails.

There's nothing wrong with keeping in touch with your customers - providing you have their permission to do so. However, this is a method that is all too frequently abused. No one wants their inboxes constantly cluttered with emails from the same source; this method is likely to backfire as people will quickly become irritated and search for the 'unsubscribe' button. Keep your emails consistent but minimal and fill them with content that is of interest.

3. Put out press releases that are a) advertorial or purely promotional in nature and/or b) filled with keywords clearly aimed at improving SEO.

Press releases should be newsworthy, not thinly disguised sales pitches. Google now treats keywords and back links as spamming - as a result, many reputable press release distributors will not accept more than two links - and these should not be keywords, but rather links that are useful and make sense within the context of the release (ie "click here" for more information).

4. Promote your business services in a purely social gathering.

This should just be an obvious 'no-no'; it's inappropriate - simple as that.

So what can you do? A few DOs to consider.

DO:

1. Have a blog on your website.

Update this regularly and make the content friendly in tone and informative in content. This increases exposure to your brand and helps establish you as an expert in your field.

2. Publish a regular newsletter.

Ensure your clients have signed up for the newsletter (consider a giveaway as a thank you for doing so).

3. Include a video on your website.

People like to 'see' who they are doing business with and people also love videos - this can be a great marketing tool and convert casual visitors to your site into serious leads.

4. Put out regular press releases - when you have something newsworthy to publish.

What's newsworthy? This will depend on the nature of your business but could include: the launch of a new product, a sale, new hires, a revamp of your website, an award your company has won, a charity you are supporting or even outstanding goals you have achieved.

About Prompt Proofing

Prompt Proofing is based in Vancouver, BC, Canada and was officially launched in 2010 by a team of editing and writing professionals who have over 40 years of experience in the education, news media, public relations and recruitment fields. Prompt Proofing prides itself on affordable services delivered with fast turnaround times, without sacrificing quality or accuracy.

Offering content writing, editing and proofreading services, Prompt Proofing takes care of your individual or business content needs. We have customers throughout North and South America, the Caribbean, Europe, the United Kingdom, Asia and Australia.

Visit our website for more information at http://www.PromptProofing.com.

We offer coupons, news and more through our social media sites:Follow us on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/promptproofingLike us on Facebook at: http://www.facebook.com/promptproofing