Get to the Po!nt

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How often do you come across an advertisement with a limited-time offer that has already expired? Or a seasonal offer still lingering after the holiday has passed? Like any public goof, you're probably just grateful it wasn't your screw-up. But it could be—and that's why Susan Gunelius of the MarketingBlurb blog says it's important to stay on top of your various campaigns.

An obviously outdated ad does more than embarrass your company; it can permanently change the way people think of your company, brand or product. After all, if you don't pay attention to your marketing, what other details do you gloss over? "Even if the ad works and catches a person's attention," she says, "the negative effect of the expired offer is enough to turn that person off of the advertised product completely."

To demonstrate, she provides an example she came across online in early January. The ad is from a prestigious automaker and reads "Now's the time to bring one home for the holidays." There is a link with the ad that takes to you to a local dealership, where you see yet another version of the expired ad prominently displayed on the dealer's homepage. Simply put, Gunelius says, "An outdated ad or promotion does not drive sales."

The Po!nt: "Make sure your copy and ad placement are timely and don't have a chance to become outdated," writes Gunelius. "Or else you'll risk negating your ad's effectiveness and throwing your advertising dollars out the window."