The Top 10 Internet Marketing Blunders!
We are the first to admit that there are no Internet marketing geniuses here
at Link-O-Matic. Believe it
or not, we continue to learn something new each and every day. But that's what
is so exciting about it -- each time we act on our newfound knowledge our online
sales increase.
You should make an effort to do the same, and this week we're going to help
you do just that by sharing with you what we feel to be The Top 10 Internet
Marketing Blunders. Chances are you're making at least one of them, so you may
want to give the following some serious thought.
Keep in mind that the following really only applies if you are trying to run
some sort of business online, which most of us are. You can afford to make a
few blunders when it comes to personal homepages, but if you are running a business
online the following "rules" are written in stone.
Because the following are serious mistakes which all detract from your bottom
line, we're going to tell it like it is at the risk of sounding elitist and
egotistical. We don't want to offend anyone, it's just that when it comes to
promoting a business online there are some definite no-no's.
Blunder #1: Using free or cheapo web hosting services.
Let's get one thing straight, you absolutely can not run a business web site using
a free web page such as those offered by Angelfire, Tripod, GeoCities, HyperMart,
FreeYellow, etc. No matter what you may think, it just isn't going to work. As
they say you get what you pay for.
There is no bigger turnoff than visiting a web site that is hosted on an obviously
overloaded web server. We won't mention any names, but a few of the free services
are just terrible. Your web site is the most important asset you have, and it
must give a good first impression.
Besides, nothing is really free anyway. When you get "free" web space you
are normally required to show the hosting company's banners and advertisements
in prime locations on your web site. This is absolutely insane if you really
think about it from a business standpoint.
These days you can find a good web hosting company that will provide what
you need for as little as $20 a month. Let's be real, if you aren't willing
to spend $20 a month on a good web host how serious can you be? Many good prospects
are immediately turned off by this blunder.
And while we're on the subject of web hosting, be sure to get your own domain
name. Again, if you aren't willing to spend $60 to claim your own private spot
on the web what are your potential customers going to think? Take your business
seriously, or you will ultimately fail.
Blunder #2: Destroying your site with graphics, java, music, etc.
This has got to be the 2nd most offensive Internet marketing blunder. If you are
running a business online, your web site's most important job is to sell your
products and services. Anything that detracts from this should be avoided like
the plague. And we mean it, literally!
Unless you are a graphic designer, graphics that take forever to load are
not going to sell anything. And neither is java that crashes your visitor's
browser. Same thing for any but the most popular plug-ins. Sound or music clips
on your web site? Heck no!
Unless you are selling CDs, sound does not belong on a web site -- not yet
anyway. Sure you can argue this, but the bottom line is that it can cause your
visitors problems. Fancy graphics, java, plug-ins, sound files, etc. do nothing
but make your pages take forever to load.
Blunder #3: Not asking for, and acting on, comments and feedback.
This is another big one, and we can personally attest to the value of asking for
and acting on feedback. One thing that many people seem to forget is that it's
the prospect who has to like what they see -- and not much else matters. Here's
a real-world example.
A while ago we launched a web site, and initially used frames layout. We were
aware of the potential problems, and spent lots of time tweaking the site to
be as friendly as possible. However, after asking for feedback we discovered
that many visitors hated it.
And the scary thing is that unless we asked for feedback we probably never
would have realized this. Everything looked and worked well for us, but a significant
number of our visitors had problems with it. We redesigned the entire site and
immediately our sales increased. You will be literally amazed at the valuable
feedback you will receive if you just ask for it. Remember that your prospects
are the ones buying your products and services, and despite what you may think,
the way they perceive your site and your business is what counts.
Blunder #4: Wasting your valuable time on unproductive activities.
As an Internet marketer your most valuable asset is time. And yes, time is more
valuable than money so spend yours wisely. Because your time is a limited resource,
you will need to learn to prioritize. There are certain things that are more important
than others.
For example, consider the amount of time you spend on various promotion and
marketing activities. Do you actually know which is most productive for you?
If you don't you're wasting precious time. Test all of your advertising and
spend your time appropriately.
Search engines are a great example. One of the biggest myths that is circulating
the web marketing community is that getting a top 10 listing will make you an
overnight success. Don't believe the hype, and don't waste your time trying
to fool the search engines.
One of the most important things you can ever do is to automate as much of
your day-to-day activities as possible. This includes order fulfillment as well.
To succeed online in a big way, you will need to spend most of your time advertising
and marketing your business.
Blunder #5: Not managing your email communications efficiently.
Your email communication with prospects and customers will make or break you.
Since most of the time you will never get a chance to impress them in person,
you really need to learn how to use email to your advantage. Much of it is common
sense actually.
Each and every day we receive emails from people asking us to do business
with them in one way or another, and many of them look like they were written
by a 10 year-old. Spelling errors, grammar problems, poorly formatted and difficult
to read ... you name it. No one is perfect and we all make mistakes, but there
is no excuse for this. Get yourself a good email program, learn how to use it,
and spell-check all of your correspondence. You know what they say, you only
get one chance to make a first impression.
Blunder #6: Failing to create and build an opt-in "house" mailing list.
Red flag! Alert! Serious blunder! If you do not have a mailing list to keep in
touch with your prospects and customers, you are literally throwing money down
the drain. If you get nothing else out of this issue, trust us when we say that
you need one.
People buy things they want from people they know and trust. And there's no
better way to get people to trust you than to show them that you are an expert
at what you do. Starting an email newsletter will allow you to keep in touch
with your audience and do just that.
With it you can keep them informed of site updates and new products. You'll
never have to worry about them forgetting you because your name will always
be in front of them. You can even sell advertising. But most importantly, you
will build trust and relationships.
Think about it. If you wanted to become a real estate investor, would you
purchase a home-study course from a door-to-door salesman or someone who had
been sending you a free newsletter for the past year?
Blunder #7: Ruining your reputation via inappropriate advertising.
A list of Internet marketing blunders which didn't include spamming just wouldn't
be complete. Despite what you may have heard, there is no better way to run your
online business into the ground than the act of sending unsolicited email. It
is the ultimate blunder.
If you have to learn this the hard way than so be it, but don't say we didn't
warn you. For every spammer that is actually making any money, we can show you
10 responsible marketers who are making lots more. There is absolutely no reason
to spam.
The same thing goes for posting ads in Usenet newsgroups where they don't
belong. Why hassle with the negative effects of these questionable methods when
there are so many ways to advertise online? Forget morality issues, it just
makes no business sense.
The most important asset you have as an Internet marketer is your reputation.
And spamming is about the fastest way possible to ruin it, short of blatantly
ripping people off. If you have any intentions of being around to realize long-term
profits, please don't spam.
Blunder #8: Forgetting that marketing is the key to your success.
Even if you have the greatest product in the world you will never sell anything
if you don't tell anyone about it. Without advertising there will be no prospects,
and without prospects there will be no sales. It sounds like common sense, but
it's also a common blunder.
You only have to do two things to be successful in business, and you only
need to do one of them on a regular basis. Can you guess what it is? If your
online endeavors are not as successful as you'd like them to be, do yourself
a big favor and return to the basics.
First of all, you need to develop a profitable business model. Until it has
been proven that you have a viable product or service and a method of selling
it that turns a profit, anything else is premature. Do not waste time and money
promoting a dud, testing is critical.
Once you have determined that your business model is sound you should concentrate
most of your efforts on promoting it. If you make $10 per sale, you simply need
to find 100,000 customers to make a million dollars. Marketing is the lifeblood
of your business.
Blunder #9: Thinking you're going to get rich without working hard.
Here's another blunder that isn't exactly limited to the Internet, but it is just
as dangerous as the others. If we had to pick just one, this would probably be
the number one cause of failure -- both online and in the real world. Making money
is easy, but you must work for it.
A successful online business isn't built overnight, it is the result of many
late nights. If anyone says that they can teach you to make a substantial amount
of money without hard work, run as far away as you possibly can. And be sure
to bring your checkbook with you.
The get-rich-quick mentality seems to be quite popular online. But the truth
is, there really isn't a way for the average person to do so. And getting caught
up in the hype is only going to delay true success. Save yourself lots of grief
by accepting the fact that there is no free lunch.
We're still not sure why the get-rich-quick mentality is so prevalent on the
Internet, but we do know one thing. There are no secrets, and there is nothing
mystical about making money online. With some hard work and a little perseverance,
absolutely anyone can do it.
Blunder #10: Not understanding the real power of the Internet.
The Internet is a communications tool. It was created for this purpose, and you'll
get the most out of it if you use it as such. There has never been an easier or
more cost-effective way for a business to reach its target audience, and there
never will be. So take full advantage of it.
Use the power of the Internet to reach millions of customers all over the
world. And then use it to provide them with the sort of customer service that
was impossible without it. Use the Internet to gather information, research
the competition, and network with others.
There is a goldmine of information and resources floating around in cyberspace,
but you have to know where to find it all. Learn how to use the search engines
to easily find almost any help you need and your productivity will skyrocket.
This alone is invaluable.
In a nutshell, use the Internet to communicate more effectively. Don't forget
that business is about people, and that the Internet is nothing more than a
great way to interact with them. Don't hide behind it, get involved and witness
the way it changes the world firsthand.
Originally printed by Linkomatic.com
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