Digital marketing is critical to the success of any business, and that means that businesses have to be savvy when it comes to being online. Smart business owners hire digital marketing agencies to look after their websites and online networks, but hiring an agency does not mean that you no longer have any responsibility towards your online presence. There are some basic mistakes business owners have to avoid if they want to get the most from their websites and other Internet pages.
The biggest mistake a company can make is not thinking that they have to be online in the first place. Your business may have been a community standard for 50 years, but you still need a web presence to stay relevant. In the days before the Internet, a business had to be listed in the phone book to exist to customers. Today, the phone book has been replaced by the Internet.
It is important to have a social networking presence online, but you cannot rely on social media to be your only Internet outlet. Too many companies set up pages on social media platforms such as Facebook and think that they have done enough to satisfy their digital needs. A dedicated website is essential in establishing your overall Internet marketing foundation. Without a dedicated website, your company name will get lost in the shuffle.
These days, customers expect your email address to be hosted by your company website. When you give out business cards that use Gmail or some other form of free email service, you are not showing dedication to your own brand. A dedicated email address also offers you plenty of other options when it comes to creating email marketing campaigns, and saving your incoming messages.
All of your digital and offline marketing efforts should be centered around driving traffic to your website. Your website acts as your 24-hour a day sales professional, but it needs updated tools and an audience to be effective. When you neglect your website, you are leaving a lot of money on the table for the competition to come in and take out from under your nose.
Your domain name has to fit in with your digital marketing strategy for it to be successful. Too many business owners get domain names that are either inside jokes between the business partners, or they are local terms that no one else would understand. Your domain name needs to be part of your business brand, and it needs to be universal enough to be able to reach out to any audience. Your domain name also needs to be associated directly with your business to make it easy for customers to remember.
The Internet is the one communication medium that ties everyone together. Your target audience, whether you want to accept it or not, is either shifting towards the Internet, or is already there. If you do not get online soon, you will start to see a sharp decline in business. Even if your company was established long before there was an Internet; your decision to not get with the times and get an online presence will be the biggest mistake you could ever make.
