3 Critical Online Marketing Mistakes New Businesses Make

You could be spending hours on end trying to create a nice looking blog, website and social media page, but still struggling to get any results. Online marketing is a very vast field, and without specific pointers, it can be easy to get lost. However, there are some simple mistakes any new business can avoid if they want the best results with their web marketing methods. Here are just a few of them.

Not Having a Plan

Many business owners make the mistake of using a shotgun approach when it comes to web marketing. They try every solution at once, may it be AdWords, banner ads, SEO, or social media, but don’t have a clear plan in place and spend their marketing dollars willy nilly. But before you start, it's important that you identify your goals in detail so you don't end up overspending. This will also help keep your efforts focused.
Instead of trying everything at once, why don't you stick to one or two proven methods and perfect them until you get the results desired? If for some reason these methods don't work, you can ask for third party advice or move to another method.

Not Focusing on User Experience

This is one of the aspects that confuses me the most when it comes to new business owners. Many of them just want a utilitarian website and don't care about user experience at all. The problem is that a website isn't just there as a facade, but is sometimes the first and only way your clients will ever interact with your brand.
Bad customer experience spreads like wildfire, and a site that provides a bad user experience simply won't get results. Amazon's CEO Jeff Bezos once said that if a customer does not enjoy their customer experience in the physical world, they might tell 6 of their friends, but if they're unhappy with their online experience, they might tell 6000.
When it comes to user experience, design, clear menus, plenty of options and good customer support are a must. Good web hosting is important as well. Companies such as HHG offer great cloud based solutions for small businesses who want the firepower of major corporations for pennies on the dollar. Do not waste money on a shared hosting plan if you expect huge amounts of traffic or if you want your performances to remain consistent at all times. Server downtime is one of the worst things that could affect your business and a website that is down all the time might leave a sour taste in the mouths of your users.

Impatience

When implementing a web marketing solution, may it be SEO, AdWords or social media marketing, you'll need time to evaluate the response and tweak your efforts. Online marketing takes time, and it's better to start small and use the data at your disposition so you can be more successful when launching bigger marketing campaigns.

Conclusion

The world of online marketing can be confusing at first, but if you manage to stay away from these few simple mistakes, you should avoid some of the common caveats new business owners face. However, whatever you do, remember to be patient, focus on user experience and have a clear plan in place before you even start. Also, don't be afraid to use the data at your disposition and take small steps towards your marketing goals.