Online marketing is one of the most integral parts of modern business, but it's also one of the most overlooked and poorly executed. So many people who own businesses invest their time in creating a company that they forget the most important place to market it is on the web. Nowadays, customers use the internet to search for products and services, compare companies and even freely promote businesses they've had great experiences with in the past. While all businesses start marketing online with good intentions, there are major mistakes many make that can cost them valuable customers and an even more valuable brand reputation.
1. An Unprofessional Site
Just because you've registered on WordPress and picked out a theme doesn't mean you're in the clear. A successful business website is never static. With a strong content marketing strategy, companies in every industry can have an active blog that publishes useful content to their target audience.
If you have a website, it needs to be professionally designed and rich with useful content. If you're using stolen pictures, low-quality stock images or the like, this could have viewers hitting the "X" button before they've even read a thing. Worse, your site might get penalized by Google or even fined.
If your company has a YouTube channel for outreach and trainings, make sure that the channel is professional and accessible as well. Programs like Adobe Spark make designing professional images and site graphics easy for even an amateur; using creative commons images from reputable sites like Pexels, you can craft headers, blog images and more that will capture your visitors' attention instantly.
2. Being Too Sales-Oriented
While businesses can't survive without revenue, they can't make revenue if they don't actually attract and convert leads. Lead nurturing is the act of developing relationships with buyers at every stage of the sales funnel. If your social media pages are filled with nothing but links to products and gimmicky hashtags, you're more than likely driving away customers rather than attracting them.
People don't want to be sold to; they want solutions to their problems. By providing thoughtful, market-relevant content on your site and social media profiles, you can demonstrate to viewers and potential buyers that your company has what they need instead of just telling them repeatedly and hoping they take your word for it. The hard work pays off too. A study by the Annuitas Group revealed that 47 percent of nurtured leads make larger purchases than non-nurtured ones.
3. You Don't Track Your Competitors
One of the biggest mistakes you can make in online marketing is not sizing up the competition. Knowing that they have way more followers than you isn't good enough. You should actively explore your competitors' social media channels and conversations surrounding them through hashtags and other comment sections.
Social listening gives you valuable insight on what customers like more about your competitors as well as what they're looking for. When you see a successful campaign from a competitor, it can help you strengthen your own. Likewise, seeing a mistake they made can help you avoid the same and allow you to swoop in and provide the type of solutions they failed to.
4. You Don't Have Landing Pages
Landing pages are specifically designed to convert leads who find your site in search results. A lot of businesses either don't understand what landing pages are or are unsure how to create ones that are effective. A good landing page immediately draws a visitor in and makes them convert right then and there. It may not be a sale, but it could be signing up for a newsletter to receive a free PDF or eBook you offer, liking a page on social media, filling out a form, etc.
Hubspot has this incredible step-by-step guide on how to make a site landing page that guarantees new leads that's worth reading.
How to Improve Your Online Marketing Strategy
Professionalism and consistency are two key elements that should be at the forefront of every online marketing decision. You need to have social media profiles and websites that are both tastefully designed and provide updated, useful content to viewers.
You should start tracking your own analytics as well as your competitors'. Doing this will allow you to gain new insight, make better choices and learn from their mistakes. Offering free content in order to gain new leads via a landing page is something worth trying if you haven't already.
Above all, make sure you do your research. Online marketing isn't a one-time deal; it will continue to shift and evolve as an industry as well as a personal tool as your business evolves. Make sure that you stay in the loop so you can grow with it.