Perhaps the biggest mistake that a business owner can make is doing something half-way. If you wouldn’t sell sub-par products, and wouldn’t offer sub-par service, why are so many people content with sub-par marketing efforts? It’s not logical, but a fairly common phenomenon.
If you take your marketing seriously, you need to consider these questions:
- Why send people to a poor destination (like an inactive Facebook page or outdated website)?
- Why build a great website only to fill it with amateur images and/or video?
- Why ask people to call when you don’t have someone answering the phone professionally?
- Why expect a free drag-and-drop site thrown together in one weekend to make you money?
- Why take a chance on the “too good to be true” marketing promises when you would normally be skeptical?
- Why expect an admin assistant or your IT guy to be a marketing expert?
- Have you really given it your best shot, or have you just taken the cheapest and most convenient route?
- How are you measuring your success?
And, the granddaddy of them all…
- What is the purpose or strategy for your website and other marketing efforts?
In our experience, there are just a few primary reasons why marketing doesn’t get the love and attention it needs. First, it takes time and effort that business owners rarely have. In fact, some can’t even tell you whether they have a site or not…let alone what the URL is. Second, it costs money that they may not have planned for. When they realize that the Internet is an essential tool in the building and maintenance of a business, now more than ever, they try to squeeze it in…somehow.
Well, here’s a marketing rule to live by. In whatever you do, do it well…or don’t do it at all. Honestly, a negative impression is much worse than no impression at all. And, why put effort into something that won’t serve you well? So, if you are going to put your business out there, do it with style. Create something you are proud of, and serves the purpose intended.
There is a lot of money to be made when you make marketing an integral part of your business plan, not an add-on service or after-thought. If you’ve been in business awhile, you know how important it is to make investments that get a return. Internet Marketing can get you that positive ROI, but not if it’s done half-heartedly. With proper funding, attention and marketing expertise, you will not only have something to be proud of…but something that actually works for you!
When a prospective client looks for you online, you need to deliver four things:
- Be Easily Found
- Be Impressive
- Be the Solution
- Elicit the Action Desired
While it’s a short list, meeting these deliverables takes attention to every step of the interactive process. You can’t skimp on the details, because any exposure a person has to your business is either building or tearing down your credibility. So, from your website to the way you answer your phone, everything must match your professional image and desired branding.
Internet Marketing is constantly evolving; and, staying current is what we do, so you don’t have to. If you’re serious about growing your business, and want to get serious about your marketing, we would be happy to sit down with you to discuss your goals.
