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6 Reasons Why Web Marketing Doesn't Always Work

Internet Marketing Tips Word Cloud

Internet marketing techniques offer small businesses a viable means to compete with the big players and get noticed in the online marketplace. Well-designed digital marketing ideas and campaigns can make a massive difference to your company’s turnover, usually for less cost than traditional marketing strategies. But they’re not a guaranteed path to riches and sometimes they just plain...fail.

The internet is awash with sites and blogs promoting marketing tips for small business owners, with the promise of astounding results. In reality, any product marketing strategy requires research, planning and a clear set of goals to be successful. In our experience, there are six key reasons why internet marketing can fail to deliver results:

1. No clear goal

A vague and general goal such as “Driving more traffic to our website” may be achievable, but without clearly defining your target audience and what you want them to do, you could end up with lots of ‘tyre kickers’ and no sales to show for it. A well-defined goal helps you define the scope of your campaign, your audience and a measurable outcome (e.g. 20% more sales from women aged 20-35).

2. No Research/testing

Even with a set goal in mind, internet marketing strategies can fall over without some background research. Sometimes this fact-finding can reveal that your primary goal is flawed, which may seem like a setback, but is actually good news, as you can re-evaluate your strategy before any financial commitment is made. Once you’ve settled on a marketing approach, test it out on a small sample group that represents your audience, and gather their feedback. Use this information to refine your marketing content.

3. Poor audience targeting

Your marketing goal may be to attract more subscribers to your mailing list. An incorrectly targeted campaign could see you gain many subscribers, but very few genuine prospects that will convert into customers. Social media marketing allows you to focus on specific demographics, but you need to do your research beforehand to ensure you are talking to the right audience.

4. No value

For better or worse, most internet users will only click on a link if there is something ‘in it’ for them. A big marketing mistake is not offering something of value to these potential customers. Strategies that rewards users with genuinely helpful information, discounts or special offers are more likely to get traction.

5. Poor website

Many internet marketing campaigns stumble at the last hurdle by directing users to a website that isn’t performing well or fails to capitalise on the traffic. A user who has made an effort to click through to your site should be presented with a seamless experience that meets their expectations and ultimately leads to a sale.

6. Budget

There is a perception that you can do internet marketing for little or no cost, but you shouldn’t believe everything you read on the internet. Digital marketing is very cost-effective but still requires some investment (in time and dollars) to pay dividends. A common error is not allocating enough budget for your marketing. Companies who create TV commercials must also buy enough media time to ensure it is seen. The same applies to online marketing—whether it's banner ads or paid posts on social media, make sure you allocate enough budget to gain penetration into your chosen market.

 

If you’d like to discuss internet marketing strategies for your website, contact the team at Activate Design.

 

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