New business owners make mistakes all the time and that’s OK. It’s a rite of passage of sorts. However, there are certain mistakes that are almost unforgivable! In this article, we’re going to share 5 of the worst mistakes that you can make in the modern digital marketplace and how to avoid them!
1. Not recognising the value of a well-optimized (and maintained) website
Congratulations! You’ve had a lovely new website built. But it doesn’t stop there. In fact, building a website is merely the beginning of your adventures in the digital marketplace.
Now you need to optimize it for SEO, perfect the back-end with all manner of technical tweaks, and continually maintain it.
A website is NEVER finished and this is a common misconception that new business owners have. If you let your website stagnate and do nothing with it, you’re never going to succeed online. This is the foundation upon which your business will grow and it needs a lot of love and attention.
Yes, it’s frustrating spending thousands on a website only to learn that you have to spend even more on it! However, if you get this right, you will see a return on your investment.
2. Not having a digital marketing strategy in place
Next, how are you going to attract people to your website? Because unless you have a digital marketing strategy in place, the only people who are going to know that your website exists are you, your web designer, your employees, and anyone you hand your business card to.
As for the thousands and thousands of potential customers out there who are actively searching for the products and / or services that you offer? They’ll be going to your competitors.
Want the best possible chance at succeeding online and generating as many leads as you can manage, organically? Find reputable digital marketing experts like this SEO agency in Singapore and let them work their magic for you.
3. Underutilising social media
There’s a big difference between being active on social media, and being successful. Without a social media marketing strategy, paid ads, or any understanding of who your primary target audience is, your posts are going to get very little engagement at all.
Social media has the potential to skyrocket small businesses when utilised well. Again, if you have no time or desire to commit to developing a social media strategy, it’s almost certainly worth outsourcing those requirements to the experts.
4. Writing email marketing off
Another big one is neglecting email marketing. Many small business owners see email marketing as some dated and ineffective strategy from the stone age. The reality? Couldn’t be further from the truth.
Email marketing, beside SEO is one of the most lucrative digital marketing strategies and when executed well, can offer a very impressive ROI.
To give you an idea, with a well-strategized email marketing campaign you could be looking at earning $37 for every $1 spent.
Not bad for ancient technology, eh?
5. Not having a mobile-responsive design
Well over 50% of all web traffic comes from mobile devices and if a mobile user visits a website that doesn’t have a responsive design, there’s a very good chance that they will abandon the website – and never return.
If your website has not been optimized for mobile use, you are turning away a significant amount of potential business. In which case, you must remedy it immediately.
Final thoughts
As a business owner, people pay you for your expertise – whether it be your products or services. Similarly, when it comes to the marketing of your brand and business online, there are many capable and well-established digital marketing agencies who can help you achieve game-changing results.
If your website has been stagnating with very little traffic at all, it might be time to make some drastic changes!