5 Internet Marketing Mistakes Made By Small Businesses

When it comes to internet marketing, it’s easy to make mistakes when it comes to your marketing efforts.  Most of these mistakes are often overlooked and seem like common sense after you hear about them, but you’ll be surprised by the number of businesses, particularly small businesses, that continue to make these mistakes.

Here are my top 5 internet marketing mistakes made by small businesses that you should avoid.

1.) No Phone Number or Address

You’ll be surprised by how many websites of small business owners that I’ve seen that don’t list a phone number or address.  A lot of businesses simply put up a contact form and expect customers to contact them. That is a huge mistake.

Not displaying a phone number and simply providing a contact form says to the customer that you are uninviting. By providing a phone number, your customers will have the impression that you care about customer service.

By including an address, it invites the customer to visit you. Additionally, by using an address with microformats, your website will be optimized for Google’s local search results.

2.) No About Us or Company Section

This is another common mistake that I see small businesses making all of the time. They forget to include an About Us or Company section. People want to learn more about your company when they are visiting your website. They don’t just care about what you are selling, they want to know who you are and what you are all about.

The best advice I have ever received when it comes to creating an About Us section is to tell a story. Brand yourself with the art of story telling.  I’ve put this valuable marketing technique to work in my About Us section.  In that section, I described how I developed the idea of starting my own business with the focus of helping small businesses adopt Google Apps in order to save money and increase productivity while studying for the Pennsylvania Bar Examination.

I was able to pass the bar exam on my first attempt and I believe that Gooogle Apps had a lot to do with my success. People love reading a good success story and how the business began and evolved. It develops a personal connection between the reader and the storyteller and customers value that connection.

I’ve received a lot of positive feedback from people who have read my story and contacted me by calling me. Again, this shows the importance of listing your phone number on your website.

Also, don’t be afraid to use pictures of the team members of your company. People feel more comfortable buying something from someone that they can put a face with.

3.) No Calls to Action or Offers

Not only do businesses have to focus on getting traffic to their website, but they have to focus on what the customer should do once they get to the website. Ultimately, the goal is to make sales. You cannot make sales if you do not make offers.  I offer various packages for Google Apps, as well as instant WordPress installations. You literally have to tell the customer what to do next once they visit your website.

From my homepage, customers are able to make a purchase in less than 3 clicks. Don’t make the conversion process long and complicated. The more hoops you make customers jump through to purchase your product, the more likely they will navigate away from your website.

Additionally, focus on other non-sales conversions that you want your customer to take. Do you want your customer to sign up for your newsletter, subscribe to your RSS feed, or follow you on Twitter? Make sure those items are prominently displayed on your website.

4.) Poor Website Design

When a visitor comes to your website, you have just seconds to impress them. Your website’s aesthetics better be top notch. Don’t try to save a few bucks by doing a website yourself. Use a professional who is experienced in website design. Ask them questions. Make sure they know how to optimize your website for search engines. Make sure they are proficient in CSS. Additionally, make sure the website loads quickly. Nothing loses customers faster than a website that takes a long time to load.

5.) Giving Up On Leads

Rarely does a sale occur after the first or second interaction with a customer. Persistence and repetition pays off. Most salespeople will give up on a customer after two interactions with them. You’ll find that sales are often not made until the sixth or seventh interaction. Don’t be afraid to make a call just to say hello and ask if there is anything you can do to help the customer. Real sales do not begin until the customer has said no.

Make the Sale

Now go out there and make the sale and if you ever want to talk, you have my number: 1-888-652-3135.

Tags: Calls to Action, Marketing Mistakes, Sales Tips, Small Business, Storytelling, Top 5