By now, you already know that you need to invest on online marketing to make your small business grow. But since money isn’t falling from the skies, you actually have to plan your investments – or risk losing a lot of cash. That’s because there are tons of common mistakes waiting for you to make them, errors that eat distracted business owners that don’t plan for breakfast. Here’s what you need to avoid!
1 – Promoting a dead end
Promoting landing pages with contact forms? That’s great. But are you sure all those leads you might be getting are actually reaching you? Forms are an amazing way to get new leads but if you aren’t checking who’s trying to contact you, then you’re wasting your reputation and your marketing dollars for nothing. Check the account in which you receive your messages regularly to avoid missing out on big opportunities!
2 – Preaching to the wrong crowd
With all the businesses out there screaming for attention, it’s easy to be drowned in the noise. That’s why you have to know who are you talking to – and how to reach them. If you don’t take the time to target your marketing efforts, then you’re shooting your guns into the sky with the hope of hunting a bird that’s just flying by. Research will show you which area, age range and income level you should be aiming for.
3 – Promising the moon to your customers
Unless you can actually back it up, don’t promise your customers more than you can offer. This applies to prices, promotions or sexy marketing claims. A “Too-good-to-be-true” might get you some leads at first but once your potential customers realize you’re a lying sack of BS, they’ll run away – pointing at you and screaming to anyone that happens to be standing by how much you suck and how much you lie. Spending money to lie isn’t a strategy. It’s a scam and the sure way to bankruptcy.
4 – Not aiming for the best customer service you can afford
Customer service might not seem directly related to marketing at first – but on second look, it’s a fantastic marketing tool. Is there something better than people saying how great your business is at offering its services? Mouth to mouth marketing isn’t what you used to be but it still works wonders, both on online and offline channels. Having beautiful ads but terrible customer service won’t get you anywhere. Invest in quality attention.
5 – Being manically aggressive with emails
We said it so many times before that you should already know this by heart – email marketing is incredibly effective even today. So if you’re thinking about launching an email campaign, then you’re in the right track. Unless you’re considering to just send them out to all the addresses you have without filtering them first. If you do that, you’ll end up with a lot of people flagging your mails as spam – and with your business email address as a spamming account. Be sure, then, to send you emails out to the right people because paying for an email marketing to turn you into a spammer is as stupid as it sounds.
6 – Paying for a horrible website
Your website is like your virtual business, how you present it to your potential customers. Simply having one doesn’t cut it anymore – you have to have the best site you can afford. And, mind you, we aren’t just talking about a dashing web design and the most catchy copy you can think of. We are also talking about the behind the scenes – SEO, structure, user experience, speed, mobile-ready. If someone is charging you for your site and isn’t giving you all of that, then you’re paying too much.
7 – Offering disconnected messages through your channels
All of your marketing efforts should be guided by the same parent idea. A great marketing campaign is the one that’s flexible enough to be used on any marketing channel without losing its essence. If your mails have one tone and your Facebook page has another, then you are marketing wrong – and are confusing your customers. Your messages should feel cohesive and coherent when seen as a whole, always displaying the same image and brand and reducing the friction. If your marketing campaign isn’t respecting this, then you’re paying to confuse your customers.
Poor marketing campaigns won’t just make you lose money – they can destroy your business. Avoiding these mistakes is crucial to make your brand grow and stay healthy while you also keep your wallet happy. Don’t invest in disaster – be sure to follow these tips!
