The WebSmartIdeas aims to promote and disseminate good creative ideas to improve society.

• No Offer:
  Many business advertisers promote their company or an idea, not a specific product or service. The offer needs to include a product, the price and an order mechanism.
   
• Using Poor Lists:
  Most organisations tend to neglect their marketing database. Lists need to be kept up-to-date to maximise effectiveness. Lists a few months old are not considered current.
   
• Poor Testing Techniques:
  Direct mailers need to be tested for their effectiveness. To get friends to look at yours and give their opinion is not considered objective.
   
• Incomplete Records Of Results: 
  You need to know what has worked and what techniques or programmes have failed in the past. Repeating successful campaigns is key to successful marketing; you need to record every mailing, every transaction, and every response.
   
• Treating All Customers The Same:
  Segment your market and plan your campaigns appropriately. It is slightly more expensive, but worth it.
   
• Providing Incomplete Information:
  You are aiming to get the prospect to make a decision. Would you make the same decision without the full information? 
   
• Unprofessional Presentation:
  The quickest way to turn the prospect off is to include amateurish graphics. Be impressive in your campaign.
   
• Using Open-Ended Action Requests:
  Deadlines and incentives work so why not use them? 
   
• Unreasonably High Expectations:
  A good response rate is one that results in campaign profit. Don't expect all campaigns to work well. Be realistic and expect profit to result from keeping the customers over the long term. If customers are only once-off's as a result of a campaign, other sales problems exist, the marketing promotion did its job.