In the world of internet marketing, mistakes can not only be expensive, but also extremely costly in time, effort and results. There is an old saying about there being no mistakes in life, but rather a lot of lessons. However true this might be, very few businesses can afford to learn things the hard way… especially in the case of small or newer businesses that lack bottomless resources.
So, with that said, what are the biggest mistakes to avoid in online marketing? Better yet, how do you go about avoiding them?
Internet Marketing Mistakes (And How to Avoid Them)
In no particular order, here are some of the top internet marketing mistakes, and a few tips on how to prevent making them…
- Not marketing your business. Hah! Sounds obvious, right? You’d be amazed at how many businesses make this mistake, though. Failing to market yourself in the first place is one of the biggest blunders of all. The reasons that you may be making this could be numerous. You may assume that your product is so great that people will learn about it without you having to tell them about it. You might feel a bit uncomfortable with self-promotion. You could even think that other people (read: your customers) will market your business on your behalf. In reality, if you are not marketing your business, it will not be seen or heard by your future customers.
- Relying on one single (successful) strategy. Killing it on Facebook? Huge Instagram super star? Online ads performing through the roof? That is all good. But, if you’re putting all your eggs in one basket, you may be missing out on opportunities. There are many ways to get ahead – some work better than others of course, but they all have their advantages. By focusing on only one channel, you may be blinding yourself to other strategies that could make a huge difference. Don’t stop doing something if it works, but keep your mind open to other ideas as well. A diverse, well-thought out strategy that uses all the tools on the basket really does help to bulletproof your sales funnel.
- Ignoring SEO. These days, digital marketing is far greater than just SEO. But ignoring optimisation completely in favour of paid search or social options is foolish. This should play a vital role in your overall strategy. On-site work should be done to ensure that your site is ready to perform online. Off-site work should be done to continue managing your rankings. Investing in a holistic solution that incorporates search, social and other strategies is hands down your best bet if you truly want to get ahead.
- Wasting efforts on social media. Social media marketing is huge these days. It is far more than just “doing social” however. Copying what others are doing, spamming followers with endless links and avoiding replies are all bad practices. Wasting your time and effort by randomly tweeting or posting upgrades without any strategy or thought is akin to using your marketing budget on branded balloons… and then popping each balloon after each is blown. Instead, take the time to hire a social manager or invest in a social and search marketing plan that gives you maximum return.
- Spamming. Last but not least, one of the worst things you can do is to partake in any sort of dodgy practices, including spamming your customers. Always use permission based marketing. Always ensure that you do not take advantage of that permission. Always remove people from any list that they unsubscribe to. Always remember that spamming is the fastest way to lose respect, leads, and ultimately, business.
Luckily, if you put a bit of thought into how you do things, you don’t have to fall victim to any of these mistakes. Learning from other businesses’ mistakes is a good way to prevent those painful lessons!
Looking for more advice on online marketing? Contact us today to let us know how we can help you get ahead on the web.
