Online marketing gives businesses of every size the chance to reach more customers than ever before. But it’s also easy to make mistakes that waste time, money and opportunities, often without even realising it.
The good news is that most of these mistakes are simple to fix once you know what to look for. Here are four of the most common online marketing mistakes and how to avoid them.
1. Forgetting About Your Target Audience
It’s easy to make assumptions about how your customers find and interact with your business. For example, it’s true that most internet browsing now happens on mobile phones. But that doesn’t mean all of your customers behave that way.
Depending on your business, a large share of your audience might still use desktop computers, especially if you sell to other businesses or to older customers. Some may find you through print advertising, local events or word of mouth before they ever visit your website.
Instead of relying on general trends, get to know your own audience. Google Analytics will show you which devices your visitors use, where they come from and what they’re interested in. Talk to your customers and ask how they found you. Then make sure your website works well on every device and that your marketing reaches people where they actually are.
2. Losing Sight of Your Goals
Of course, every business wants to make money. But “make more money” on its own isn’t a useful marketing goal. It doesn’t tell you what’s working, what isn’t or what to do next.
Instead, set clear, measurable goals that support your bigger aim. For example, if you’re running a month-long marketing campaign, you might set a target for revenue, but also for the number of new newsletter subscribers, enquiries or social media followers you want to gain in that time.
These smaller goals help you measure the success of each campaign, show you where to focus your efforts and build the foundations for long-term growth. A new email subscriber might not buy today, but they could become a loyal customer for years to come.
3. Only Rewarding New Customers
You’ve probably experienced this yourself with broadband, TV or mobile phone packages. Your provider is advertising a great deal you’d like to avail of, but when you ask about it, you’re told it’s only available to new customers.
The same thing often happens online. Businesses offer 10% off “your first order” or promo codes only to people who “create a new account”, while their existing customers get nothing.
Focusing only on attracting new customers can leave your loyal ones feeling overlooked, and test their loyalty to your business. It’s usually far cheaper to keep an existing customer than to win a new one, so make sure they feel valued too. Consider a loyalty scheme, exclusive offers for subscribers, early access to sales or a simple thank-you discount on their next order.
4. Using Content That Lacks Effort
Good-quality content keeps your website and online presence in good standing and helps your SEO. But content that’s thrown together just for the sake of it can do more harm than good.
Blog posts, videos, social media posts and web pages that lack effort won’t connect with your audience. They can make your business look unprofessional and put people off rather than helping them decide to buy. They’re also unlikely to rank well, as Google prioritises content that’s genuinely helpful.
Instead of posting for the sake of it, focus on quality. Create content that answers your customers’ questions, solves their problems or gives them a reason to choose you. Fewer, better pieces of content will always outperform lots of rushed ones.
Avoid the Mistakes, Grow Your Business
These four mistakes are common, but they’re all easy to fix. By understanding your audience, setting clear goals, rewarding loyal customers and focusing on quality content, you’ll get far more out of your online marketing.
If you’d like help making sure your website and online presence are working as hard as they can for your business, get in touch with Whelan Web Design. We’re a Waterford-based web design and digital marketing agency helping businesses across Ireland.
