5 common online marketing mistakes that entrepreneurs make
Do you want to squeeze more out of online marketing? That's always a good idea. Bear in mind these faults so your effort will not come in vain.
1. Ignoring Social Media
Why isn’t your business using social media platforms? No answer is right, here. 81% of people in the U.S.A. have a social media profile, most likely, so do you, and so should your business. It’s a great way to interact with your customers — they are there.
It costs you nothing to create a Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram account. Sure, it will cost money if you’re going to buy advertisements and pay someone to run the pages. But this is still less expensive compared to traditional marketing efforts. Your business will benefit from social media if you use it cleverly.
Note: Do not buy followers because you won’t accomplish anything. You might be demotivated if you don’t have many followers on your page right away. That will change. Stay consistent, relevant, educational and entertaining!
2. No True Clarity on Your Audience
It’s obvious that targeting everyone is not efficient.
Who should you have in mind as your ideal buyer? What are their wants and needs, how do they like to consume content, and through which channels? To answer this question, it’s extremely helpful to create buyer personas.
Buyer personas help you communicate relevantly, target relevantly, and spend time and money more efficiently. Simply cut out those who are not your potential customers and focus on those who, sooner or later, will become one of them.
3. Not Setting End Goals
As mentioned above, your ads and posts should educate, entertain, or inspire. Spend time crafting catchy headlines. One of the biggest online marketing mistakes is that business don't establish analytics goals prior to the start of a campaign.
For tracking the success of a digital marketing campaign, it’s necessary to define your goals (sales, filled forms, calls, sign ups, etc.) and ensure that analytics tracking is properly set up for these goals. You should define measurable objectives, to track the benefit of your campaigns. It is also important to build insights from previous campaigns into the planning process for future campaigns. Once the goal is set, you can chase it!
4. Not Converting Web Traffic to Customers
Does the number of your website visitors grow? Great news! You should convert the traffic to sales now. What if you are you losing the traffic? Make sure your website is easy to navigate. 80% of website visitors leave your page because they can’t find what they’re looking for. Make it simple for them!
For those of you with an e-commerce page, make sure there are plenty of search options and filters so users can quickly find what they want and make a purchase. Everyone wants results fast. How fast? So fast that they won’t even use a computer. Mobile is becoming the dominant digital platform. What does that mean? People want to make purchases from the palms of their hands. Make sure your website is compatible with all mobile devices! If it is not, they will buy from another website that’s more accommodating and easier to use.
5. Being Impersonal or Spam
Sending automated direct messages makes people cringe. It might be easy and quick, however, those direct messages are not personal. They are tacky, annoying and ensure an immediate ‘unfollow.’ Build a relationship with your audience. Don’t just sell.
Remember: People don’t plainly buy products because they’re good products. People buy when they’re influenced to buy.
Avoid these 5 mistakes, be successful!
