Another Marketing Lesson from the Un-Rapture

Lots of bloggers have already written about marketing lessons from the apocalypse that didn't happen on Saturday.

If you want to read them, click here for a list.

Fortunately for everyone but Harold Camping, the rapture didn't happen on Saturday. We're all still here, hopefully enjoying our lives.

When questioned about the fact that the end times didn't begin on May 21st, Camping said that God had decided to spare the people five months of tribulation, and that the apocalypse was now scheduled for October 21, 2011. His last rapture prediction, in 1994, also didn't come true.

This reminded me of something a lot of marketers do, which is to extend their sales again, again, and again. I see this in my inbox all the time. The first promotion says:

photo © 2010 Forest Wander | more info (via: Wylio)


Sale Ends Friday!

Then, I get a:

Sale Extended through Sunday. Act Now!

and then, I get a:

Sale Now Extended through Tuesday. Don't Miss!

At this point, I think you're probably just going to extend your sale again, and your message loses both relevance and credibility. I'll just wait to buy - you'll just do another sale, right?

Don't be like Harold Camping. If you still have inventory to sell, create a new promotion. If your current sale isn't meeting your goals, instead of extending it, why not try a new approach to see if that drives better results? It's always a good idea to put something new in front of your customers.  Need help? Let me know.