Do you feel like your business is trudging behind, especially when it comes to digital marketing? Well, believe it or not, it is a feeling most small business owners have. So you’re definitely not alone. Annually, a worrying 80% of small businesses fail and close down after a few months. Unfortunately, running a successful small business goes way beyond just having a promising idea or a strong work ethic. One of the few areas responsible for the success or otherwise of small businesses is online marketing. So, why do most small business owners fail in their online marketing?
Online marketing is simply the practice of taking advantage of web-based platforms or channels to improve the visibility of your company or products. Here are some of the ways that small business owners fail when it comes to online marketing and how to avoid them.
1. No Online Marketing Plan
Most new business owners just cannot wait to let the world know about their products or services. As a result, they make a pivotal mistake of jumping onto almost every social media platform – Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, you name them – without any proper plan. Most of them then get overwhelmed by the sheer size of work involved in keeping all their pages active and updated. What follows next is dormancy and then a slow lack of interest. It’s important to plan your social media campaign before creating your first platform. Think about your target audience and which platform offers the best means of getting to them.
2. Dormant Website
What follows from dormant social media accounts is a dormant or outdated website. After all, one of the main reasons behind social media accounts is to be able to get people to visit your website. If the website is outdated and dormant, the chances that visitors will not return are very high. A website should make a strong case for the company. It should be up-to-date with every essential information the potential visitors need to know about your company.
3. Underestimating The Effect Of Email Marketing
The power of email marketing cannot be overlooked. And this is just what most small business owners do – overlook it. The ability to perfect email marketing campaigns helps to grow the clientele base businesses considerably. Plus, compared to other forms of digital marketing, email marketing is very cost-effective, with most service providers charging around 10 dollars monthly. Also, email marketing is comparatively easy to facilitate and maintain.
4. Lack Of Data Analysis
Data should be at the heart of any strategic planning for a business. Data science services play a huge role in helping businesses to understand and gain insight on how to make business better using data analysis. When it comes to online marketing, getting and making use of the right data can be the line between successful marketing campaigns or otherwise.
5. Mobile Marketing
Most small business owners focus on desktop-suited digital advertising without taking into consideration mobile phones. Currently, there are close to 2 billion smartphone users. This offers a huge marketing potential. Thus, while creating a website, it is best to create a mobile-compatible version to be able to tap into the potential that the latter offers.
