Insanity:

Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.

If it's crazy to do keep making the same mistakes, then stop making these Eight Classic Marketing Mistakes that May Never Go Away as outlined by Paul on KnowThis.com.

My favorite of these mistaken marketing ideas are:

2. All We Need to do is Pump More into Promotion
Usually, if no one wants what you're "selling," it's because the product or service is bad, not because you need to spend more time and money telling people about a lousy product.

6. We Know Who Our Competitors Are
As Paul says,

"Companies not viewed as competitors are potentially the biggest threat to a company..."

This is why being broadly knowledgeable about market changes and new products and services is important for librarians, even when those new developments have seemingly little to do with libraries.

and 7. The Only Thing That Matters Is ROI

"For many companies investing in a marketing decision must have only one payoff – profit on the investment. Yet if this approach drives all marketing decisions the company is at best an underachiever and at worst vulnerable to competitors. Why? Because not all marketing decisions should be tied to a positive return on investment. Sometimes a firm must make strategic decisions that sacrifice profits in order strengthen other parts of the company."

Even in library land, obsessively focusing on profits, or outcomes, in terms of numbers like gate counts and service point transactions may blind people to more important matters. A BIG mistake!