The Biggest Online Marketing Mistakes
More and more small businesses are aware of the advantages offered by online marketing. From using your own website, to social media, to online advertising, there are lots of outlets for the web-minded small business entrepreneur. But all small businesses need to be conscious of their web presence.
Even if your business does not have a website, that does not mean you’re not online. You could very well have business profiles at various websites set up automatically, and potential customers could be talking about you. And if you do have a web presence, it’s important to make sure you’re following a solid strategy.
Social media marketing strategist Tiffany Monhollon wrote an article about the “7 Deadly Sins of Online Marketing for Small Business.” It’s a great article with some strong advice, and we recommend you read the whole thing. But we want to talk particularly about just some of her “7 Deadly Sins.”
Not Tracking Your Online Marketing
The old cliché is that half of your advertising doesn’t work; the only problem is figuring out which half. It’s just as true for online marketing. Just setting up an advertising campaign, or setting up your website, or creating social media profiles, isn’t enough. You have to track the results and get the data. You need to be able to look at the numbers and really see what impact your efforts are having. Those numbers are the signs, and the signs are reality. The signs indicate whether you’re going the right way, or the wrong way. If you’re going the wrong way, you have to change course and come up with a new strategy—but you won’t be able to know if you’re not tracking your marketing.
Not Claiming Your Google Plus Local Page
Google Plus Local is one of the most obvious slam dunks for any small business. It’s so simple, and yet so effective. After all, a huge percentage of people look for businesses online using search engines, and Google dominates the market. And as smartphones and local-based search results become even more widespread, having that Google Plus Local Page set up becomes more and more vital. It’s not the be-all, end-all for your business’s online marketing, of course, but it’s a simple and necessary first step. No matter who you are, where you are, or what you do, it’s a pretty good bet that your customers are on Google. It can’t be a bad idea for you to be, too.
Letting Your Online Reputation Go Unchecked
Whether or not your business is online, your customers are. And so are potential customers. When they look for your business, whether searching specifically for you or just researching businesses in your industry in your area, what will they see? Do you know? Will they find a long list of negative reviews, a sure turnoff to any potential customer? Or will they find any feedback from previous clients at all? Know what is out there about your business, and then you can get to work and respond to it. If people are sharing negative things about your business, it’s a chance to address problems and make the situation right, giving you a chance to turn a negative into a positive. And make sure to encourage your satisfied customers to share their own experiences, too.
Read the whole article for Ms. Monhollon’s thoughts on these and the rest of the deadly sins. Are you making any of these mistakes? What are some other major warning signs you’ve encountered in online marketing? We’d love to hear from you!
