3 Internet Marketing Mistakes that Will Cost you Money

We all make mistakes and while many mistakes online aren’t too costly, some of them are real doozys.  The best way to avoid mistakes is to learn from them, so witness the following group of internet mistakes and take what lessons you can from them.

Mistake #1:

No Plan

The number one reason why internet businesses fail is not because of a lack of customer support or a lack of cash, but rather a lack of focus.  People who start out in the internet world often start out with no business plan, no budget and no idea what they want to accomplish, so just like in the real world, they fail.

Fix It: Before you even touch fingers to keyboard, work out what you want to do online and what you want to sell.  Do you want to sell your own products or market other peoples` products?  Write out a proper business plan just as you would if you were opening up a shop on the corner of your street, including a budget for marketing, advertising, and outsourcing.

Mistake #2:

No Research

Close on the heels of the no plan mistake is the no research mistake.  Before diving into a product or group of products, you should always research it to make sure that there a place for you.  If there is too much competition, you probably won’t do well until you start narrowing your focus.  However, if there is no competition, this should also throw up warning signs as it means that no one is looking for that thing.  You want a Goldilocks zone; just enough competition to show that there is a healthy interest in your product and not so much that your site will be bogged down.

Fix It: You can easily research your product by checking it on a search engine and seeing how many search results pop up.  You can also use SEO analytic tools; Market Samurai for example which often have free trials running.

Mistake #3:

Your Website isn’t Well Cared For

Your website is your store and if it doesn’t look nice, work well, and isn’t easily navigable, people won’t stay there.  Studies show that people make the decision whether or not to check into a site and buy from there in the first five seconds.  Furthermore, if your site is buggy, slow, disorganized, and full of broken links, no one will stay, let alone buy things.

Fix It: If you feel like you can’t get your site to work or look the way you want it to, outsource it.  There are plenty of web designers, writers, and artists you can hire privately or through bidding sites to make your website easier to navigate, nicer to look at, and more interesting.

Mistake #4:

You Don’t Like Social Media

You don’t have to like things like Facebook or Twitter, but refusing to use them is internet marketing suicide.  Social media is an easy way to hit a huge customer base for cheap.

Fix It: Grit your teeth, sign up, and update regularly.

Of course, like any business or anything in life period, there are plenty more pitfalls than the ones above, but those are the biggest ones you can hit.  Avoid them and the smaller ones will be much more manageable and you’ll be able to make more money with your online marketing.