Ask someone who has experience in any field, and they’ll tell you they are able to spot a lot of common errors from the outside looking in. Chefs constantly see home cooks burning their meals; driving instructors watch as those around them fail to use turn signals correctly; and personal trainers have to sigh when they see us getting the fundamentals of exercise all wrong.
The same thing happens in the web design and Internet marketing industry, of course. The thing that makes it extra painful, however, is that the mistakes business owners make are largely common, unknown, and costing the error-prone lots of money.
To show you how big the problems are, here are four incredibly common Internet marketing mistakes we see again and again….
#1 Treating Every Internet Marketing Tactic as a Separate Challenge
A lot of business owners tend to segment their thinking when it comes to Internet marketing. They have search engine optimization in one box, social media in another, email and pay-per-click on different parts of their minds, and so on.
That’s understandable when you’re working on individual tasks and figuring out the ROI for each channel, but remember that the success (or failure) of these tactics is all interconnected. Chances are, if you’re doing good in one you’re also succeeding in the others. And if you’re struggling in one area, it’s probably affecting the rest of your campaigns, as well.
#2 Only Using a Favorite Internet Marketing Channel
When you go online for personal browsing, what are your favorite tools to use? Now ask yourself: are you prioritizing those same tools or destinations in your online marketing? And if so, is because your customers like it or because you do?
Many marketers tend to only work on their favorite platforms, even if others would be more efficient or profitable. Don’t make the mistake of selling to yourself. Think about what your buyers want, and where they hang out online, and then adjust your efforts accordingly.
#3 Not Watching or Reviewing Online Results with Analytics
It’s not all that difficult to figure out which parts of your website and Internet marketing campaigns are working best. But, in order to get that information you have to either dig into your web analytics package, or meet regularly with your creative team so they can explain the results to you.
Some business owners get bored by this process, or feel they don’t have time for it. That’s easy to appreciate, but until you study things like traffic sources, page visits, and bounce rates, it’s difficult to know whether you’re getting the return on investment you should be from your business website.
#4 Going It Alone with Web Design and Internet Marketing
Even for those of us who work with websites every day, it’s difficult to keep up with the latest trends and search engine optimization, mobile marketing, social media, etc. There are a handful of business owners who can manage everything by themselves, but they are rare.
If you’re serious about turning your website into a profitable part of your company, get a bit of outside help in managing it. A good creative team can pitch in by coming up with a detailed plan, generating content, and helping you keep an eye on the results. That way, you can work on running your company and they can help you to make the most of all the opportunities that come through the web.
Each of these four mistakes can seem like good business while you’re in the process of making them, and every one of them can cost you in a very big way. So, if you’ve been committing these errors, know that you aren’t alone… and that now is a perfect time to call is set up a free consultation and see how we can help.