How to Work the Ups and Downs of Web Marketing

With every advancement in technology comes new approaches of advertising to consumers. Each new device is one that can be utilized; each site a potential partner. With all of these resources, it is difficult to determine what methods to use and what to avoid. Here are some common web marketing pitfalls and how to avoid them.

Doing Too Much

Many companies jump into the web marketing pool fully clothed and try to tread water, swim laps, and play a game of water basketball all at once. This just results in flailing around; nothing gets done well. Analyze what marketing options are available to you and what will work best for your company. Choose a few methods that seem to have the biggest payout and focus on those. If you are able to handle those tasks, then consider how they are working and whether or not you need to do more. Always remember that if something is not working, it can be traded for something that will work better.

Giving Up Too Soon

The internet is sometimes portrayed as a magical place where marketing success is guaranteed. Millions of people use the internet, so if you are on the internet, millions of people will see you. The flaws in this are easily spotted. There is no method that is guaranteed to get you more traffic or business. Every person is different. They go to different websites and react differently to what they see.

This is why you need to try multiple approaches. This is not to say to fall into trap number one and do too much. You simply need to recognize that the first thing you try might not work. When it doesn’t though, the worst thing you can do is drop it immediately. It is necessary to analyze what you are doing. Are you using this tool to its full potential? Do you have three social media profiles that never publish anything? Do you ever post new content to your site? Make sure that you can’t improve your approach before you give up on an outlet completely.

Ignoring Maintenance

As implied above, one of the biggest mistakes you can make is to fail to update your online content. Weather it is your website, you social media profiles, or traditional ads, you need to shake things up. No one is going to visit a website to get the same information over and over. And though ads can be unavoidable, it behooves you to keep your audience from getting tired of seeing your ads. All the views in the world don’t help if the people loathe your company’s existence because they have to see the same ad every day.

Being too commercial

People don’t like being treated as a product. Yes, they will know when you are trying to sell them something, but they still might buy if you treat them like the fellow human being they are. They also aren’t going to add you to their contacts if you are just a business sending out mass advertisements. Make your interactions personal.

Warning: You must be personal in a legitimate, genuine way. Being overly friendly and fake will turn people off even more than being too commercial.

Being Unprofessional

The other extreme you can fall prey to is being unprofessional. Remember that you are representing a business. Posting content on your blog and social media profiles that is not suitable for work or a business environment is not acceptable. Speak as if you are the company, not someone trying to impress people. Anything you say will reflect back on the company, so tread lightly. Don’t take political stances or start controversy with others. These actions will put the company in a compromising position, and could alienate consumers who may disagree with those statements. It is best to be neutral if at all possible.

Making it all about you

Yes, you are advertising. Yes, you are creating content to draw people to your business. People know that. But if you don’t show the slightest interest in them, they won’t show the slightest interest in you. You must create a reciprocal relationship. Show people what you are offering them in return for their attention, time, and money.

Being Satisfied With Success

So you created an awesome website, you have a large number of followers on three different profiles, and your pay-per-click ads are costing you a ton, so they must be working. This is dangerous territory you are treading. Stop thinking about your successes right now. Dwelling on your victories only leads to a false sense of security. Yes, celebrate. Briefly. Then go back to work. Keep trying to improve. Because the minute you become taciturn, someone else will steal your glory. People don’t continue going to websites that were awesome a year ago. They skim over the ads they’ve been seeing for months. You have to keep evolving in order to stay relevant.

Internet marketing is a roller coaster ride. There are highs and lows. The great thing is that if you pay attention, you can see the curves up ahead and prepare for them. By being aware of the pitfalls of internet marketing, you can arm yourself with the tools to overcome them.