Online marketing has grown tremendously over the past few decades. The ecommerce industry was able to make commendable progress during the pandemic, and continues to strive. Majority of business owners now understand the importance of an online presence and tailored digital marketing. Even though an overwhelming percentage of businesses worldwide have embraced online marketing, everyone is not doing it right. If you are planning to invest your time and money in online marketing, make sure to avoid common mistakes being made by others.
1. Poor SEO practices
Believe it or not, many companies consider SEO nothing more than a buzzword. They do not focus on delivering quality content, making their website efficient or getting on the first page of search engine results. They have no concept of keyword research or their correct usage either. It is crucial to be familiar with SEO algorithms to appear in search engine results and improve your website ranking. Search engine optimization is an ever-changing game, so you cannot rely on the same tricks and hacks eternally. No matter how many PPC and search engine ads you are running, gaining an excellent organic SEO score is fundamental to build website integrity and credibility.
2. No Social Media Presence
Social media has infiltrated the lives of humankind, which is why is it is the most densely populated digital medium. Social media platforms like Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, and Twitter have millions of daily users, so it is right to assume that they showcase the biggest and most diverse audience. If you are nowhere on social media, you are not where the people are. Social media marketing is integral for brand awareness, consumer engagement, and enhanced customer service. A few social media handles will grant your business an identity and a voice that resonates infinitely.
3. Disregarding the significance of a Blog
Nowadays, almost every company website has a blog, which is a productive tool for inbound marketing. You might argue that a blog is of no use to your business and that there are already too many of them on the internet. Unfortunately, these statements are superficial, and there are many ways a company benefits from an active blog. Internet users are always looking for useful info, tips, and guidelines on the internet; blogs are the primary resource of answers. Maintaining a blog that is informative and correlated to your business will boost your SEO and multiply website traffic.
4. Not using Targeted and Localized ads
Publishing online ads aimlessly results in a negative ROI, which is really bad for business. If you don’t understand your target audience and display your ad to everyone with access to the internet, you will go over budget and not even acquire any promising leads. Targeted and localized ads allow you to limit the reach of your product or service to a filtered audience that is likely to make a purchase. For example, if you are running a Criminal Law Firm in California, it would be futile to advertise your services in other states.
5. Dismissing Email Marketing
A widespread misconception is that email marketing is either dead or outdated. While social mobile apps are the leading form of digital communication today, emails are still relatively important. Emails are the preferred means of interaction for professional and formal purposes. Contrary to popular belief, almost 90% of consumers around the globe check their email every day. Email marketing has the highest ROI and it is only second in popularity, next to social media marketing. If an email marketing approach has failed you in the past, it’s because you were doing it wrong.
6. Forgetting about Mobile Users
In these modern times, people prefer to manage everything from the palm of their hand, i.e. via smart phones and other portable gadgets. More than 70% Ecommerce sales are made through smartphones, so if your webpage is not optimized for mobile devices, you are going to miss out on a massive audience. The average consumer will abandon an online store if it not accessible on their phone. If you want to take it up a notch, develop a mobile app for your business; this option is not suitable for everyone, so a mobile optimized website would be sufficient in that case.
7. Lack of Promotions and Call-to-action
Online marketing may not get you the results you expect if your advertisements are void of promotions and call-to-actions. The public loves sales, discounts, and freebies, so use that tactic to lure them in. While consumers are intrigued by an item on sale, they will be compelled to check out other stuff as well. Call-of-action means that you convince the potential customer to buy something by a given deadline. Many people abandon a loaded cart and never return to complete the purchase. When you offer an incentive, such as free shipping or 10% off as a limited offer, you are bound to make a greater number of sales at a faster rate.
8. Doing it all alone
Many individuals and small business owners try to do it all on their own. They think they can run the business, manage finances, develop/maintain the website, and conduct digital marketing campaigns altogether without anyone’s help. When this happens, individuals burn out and all facets of the business are left in chaos. Online marketing requires certain skills, knowledge, and experience, so consider working with a professional. You may not have the budget to hire a full-time team of digital marketing experts, but you can always outsource.
9. No Consumer Engagement
Businesses that do not interact with the public on a personal level cannot make a lasting impression. If your marketing content sounds mechanical and you never engage consumers in your posts, no one will pay attention or remember you. You have to communicate with your audience in a way that your brand is perceived as a real person. For example, when you reply to comments on your posts and ask the audience to share opinions or participate, it shows that you care about them.
10. Spamming
Sending out generic messages to a large number of internet users at random will get you nowhere, except into spam folders and blacklists. Personalized and targeted advertising is necessary to prove yourself as a genuine and reliable entity. Get to know your audience, exhibit consistency in your actions, be selective with ad distribution, and publish/share relevant content. An excess of anything is bad, so you must predefine your boundaries.
