Having a well thought out marketing plan is key to any successful business, but what you are doing can often be as important as what you aren’t. To ensure your advertising practices are productive and beneficial to your business, here are some marketing mistakes to avoid.
Failing to Use SEO
Studies show that the majority of Internet users look for services and products online, and the number of people with high speed Internet access is growing every day. If your company is not easily found through a search engine, you are essentially invisible to the majority of people. SEO allows businesses of all sizes to reach the incredibly vast market that the Internet represents for a much lower cost than classic marketing channels.
Ignoring the Importance of Local SEO
Google has started allowing people to receive localized search results for some types of businesses, but not all. This means that small businesses with storefronts have a leg up on national and online retailers. By ensuring that SEO is created with localization in mind, businesses can easily take advantage of this huge change to Google’s indexing and ranking system.
Thinking You Don’t Need a Blog
A major part of SEO is keyword-rich content. If you have a blog, this is an excellent place to put it. Further, it keeps your website from becoming a jumbled mess of posts and articles. Your blog can simply lead your visitors to your website and act as a conversion point for sales.
Avoiding Social Media Marketing
Along with SEO, social media marketing offers some of the highest returns on investment for time and money. Social media sites are free to join and use, and they are an excellent way for even the smallest of businesses to reach an audience targeted to their products and services. Social media is also becoming a key part of successful SEO strategies, so companies that do not engage in social networking are missing out twice.
Not Having an Affiliate Program
Affiliating with other sites and services costs you nothing, but it is a great way to bring in business and expand your brand recognition. With the technology available on the Internet, you can easily set up affiliate marketing programs that reward other websites and blogs for referring visitors who purchase products or services from you.
Thinking Commenting on Blogs is a Waste of Time
There are several advantages to commenting on blogs that touch on topics related to your company. To begin with, quality feedback can build Internet relationships and increase referrals to your website. Additionally, commenting on high-quality blog sites can improve your SEO rankings if you leave your website’s address in your blog comments.
Failing to Ask for Referrals
If you do business with someone, ask them to refer people looking for the products or services you provide to your business. There is no harm in asking; most satisfied customers are more than happy to send new clients your way. Many times it simply doesn’t occur to people to do so until you ask them.
Thinking the Press Will Come to You
Press releases and interviews are a great way to make people aware of your products and services. However, if you are a small business, unless you are generating press releases and being proactive, websites and publications are not going to talk about you. Consider seeking interviews and write-ups about your products and services from websites that focus on your industry.
Forgetting About Customer Service
Great customer service is a form of advertising in itself. When people find a product or company they love, they talk about their wonderful experiences. However, that cuts both ways. If you are neglecting customer service or not monitoring your online reputation, you may be getting a lot of bad publicity. It is important that you deal with each customer on the basis that they are likely to tell others about their experiences, good and bad.
Never Offering Discounts
Promotions and specials are one of the best ways to get people to act. Offering limited-time discounts spurs people that are interested in your business to purchase something because they will be getting a deal that is not otherwise available. In addition to looking into services like Groupon, you should also consider emails and advertisements with coupon codes.
Because there are so many various opportunities available in the field of internet marketing, it may be challenging to choose how to get started. Despite the fact that you could consider yourself an expert in the field of digital marketing, there is a good possibility that you are, in fact, engaging in some really significant errors.
However, there is no need to be concerned since this article will assist you in recognizing the top 10 mistakes so that you may steer clear of them and ensure that your efforts to advertise your business online are successful. Here are some additional concepts to consider:
Not having an Internet Marketing Plan
It is recommended that you have an internet marketing strategy rather than going without one since it is similar to having a map. not having an online marketing plan? That's like going on a trip without a map; you have a general idea of where you're headed, right? Wrong!
If you don't have a game plan before you enter the realm of internet marketing, it's like attempting to find your way from point A to point B in the dark. It is possible that you will still reach your destination in the end, but getting there will be far more difficult and time-consuming than if you had merely used a map.
Developing a strategy for online marketing can seem like unnecessary additional effort, but in the long run, it might end up saving you both time and money. Implementing any kind of digital campaign might seem daunting if there isn't an effective plan laid out in advance, particularly if you aren't sure where or how to get started. This is especially true if you don't know where to start.
Failure to Track Results When Engaged in Internet Marketing
The majority of us are guilty of committing the same offense when it comes to internet marketing, and that is neglecting to monitor our outcomes. We post advertisements, then keep our fingers crossed and hope that anything takes.
Unfortunately, this tactic does not have a high chance of success. How could you possibly hope to earn money from your marketing efforts if you are unaware of which approaches are successful and which ones are unsuccessful?
If you don't monitor how well your online marketing is doing, it's like going to the casino without taking off your glasses: you could get fortunate once in a while, but the odds are that you'll leave empty-handed.
It is time for all of us to snap out of our slumber and come to the realization that in order for our web marketing strategies to be effective, we need to become serious about monitoring those metrics. You should never, ever underestimate the power of choices that are supported by facts since they might be the difference between success and failure.
Committing the Sin of Underestimating the Competitors in Online Marketing
Although the game of online marketing is competitive and intense, many individuals continue to underestimate the level of competition. Do you believe that you are the only one making an effort? Try to rethink this. There are a plethora of other business owners out there who are attempting to market their wares and services to the same audiences that you are targeting with your own marketing efforts.
If you want to be successful online, you can't simply depend on your own abilities and expertise; you also need to outwit your opponents. Everyone else is doing research, putting different techniques to the test, networking like crazy, and checking to see that their marketing messages are being received in an audible and understandable manner.
Stay informed on the latest advancements and trends in your sector to ensure that you are always one step ahead of the competition and do not fall behind. If you don't keep up with the competition, you can find yourself falling behind.
Lacking Mobile-Friendly Optimization Of Your Internet Marketing
Smartphones are so commonplace now that even most people's pets have one. Actually, even dogs have cell phones in this day and age. Regrettably, for the rest of us, the majority of marketers do not adapt their online marketing strategies to be optimized for mobile devices.
It's almost as if they believe that people still access the internet on those clunky, outdated PCs from the 1990s. But, in all seriousness, if you do not bring your internet marketing up to date with the technology that is available today, you are going to be left in the dust. Put aside those cumbersome laptops and start making the most of the many advantages made available by content optimized for mobile devices.
Because mobile devices now account for more than half of all online traffic, it is essential (in more ways than one) that your internet marketing is optimized for use on screens of all sizes.
Internet Marketing That Does Not Take Into Account Social Media
Many people who sell their businesses online wonder: “Is it really necessary for me to be active on social media?” The simple answer is that it is.
If you are involved in internet marketing but do not spend any time participating in social media, you may as well give up on the company right now. Consider the following: if you don't have a social presence, how are people going to learn about the goods or services you offer? How will they know it is safe to buy from you and that you deserve their trust? If you don't have a presence on social media, your prospective consumer base is restricted to the people who already know and like you. And let's be honest here—at most, that amounts to a small group of close pals!
Internet marketers that want to be successful absolutely must participate in social media marketing; this practice is no longer a choice. Don't forget about one of the most effective weapons in your inventory since doing so would be a terrible error.
When it comes to promoting one's business on the internet, there are a wide variety of errors that may be made. There is no lack of errors that may have a bad influence on your company, including but not limited to the fact that you do not have a website and do not make use of social media. The most important thing to take away from this is to make it a priority to educate yourself about these errors and work hard to avoid making them. Do not be the one who completes all 10 of them since you will simply make yourself insane in the process. Because, after all, why would you want to complicate things when you can simply make life easier?
