The Top 10 Internet Marketing
Blunders
We are the first to admit
that there are no Internet marketing geniuses behind the pages of this newsletter.
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 with a
personal homepage, but if you're 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 or egotistical. We don't
want to offend anyone, it's just that there are certain things that you really
shouldn't do. Here goes
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 $70 to claim your stake 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.
Don't take it from us,
just look at any of the top 100 sites on the web. Heck, look at Yahoo which
is undeniably the most popular web site on the Internet. When was the last
time you saw fancy java apps, needed a plug-in, or heard music coming from
Yahoo's web site?
Blunder #3: Not asking
for, and acting on, visitor 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 use a frames-based layout. We were aware of the
potential problems, and spent lots of time tweaking it to be as browser-friendly
as possible. But 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 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 another
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 get there.
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
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.
For email we like Qualcom's
Eudora Pro, and if you're using your web browser for email now you really
need to check it out. Download a free demo at http://www.eudora.com -- it'll
make your life a lot easier.
Blunder #6: Failing to
create and build an opt-in 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 badly.
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 good 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? Starting an opt-in newsletter should be a top priority!
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-quick online.
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
anything you need and your productivity will skyrocket. This tip 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.
There you have it, our Top 10 Internet Marketing Blunders. Sure there are
lots more, but these costly mistakes are common and they provide a good starting
point. If you steer clear of these Top 10 Blunders, you are absolutely guaranteed
to be more successful on the Internet.
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Originally published in IMC's Internet Marketing Chronicles.
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