Startup Guides > Small Businesses: How to avoid these 5 E-Marketing Mistakes

Simple mistakes are easily made when running a small business, but they can also be easily avoided or remedied if attention is paid to the proper problem areas. A few common mistakes that all small business owners can easily avoid.

1. Strong web presence is a must.
The internet provides access to a resource that works for you 24/7 virtually for free - use it to your advantage. Creating a web presence that will be positive and lasting should always be a proactive effort rather than a reactive one.

And speaking of internet, don't forget online marketing sites. You can visit 40billion.com which is a fast-growing network of entrepreneurs and crowdfunders. They specialize in promotion of small businesses by broadcasting and promoting to its large network of several million users across the most popular social networking sites for small businesses - including Twitter, LinkedIn, 40Billion, and even Facebook. Innovative services like tweet ads and promoted company listings were created for small entrepreneurs to tap into a growing, active network online without spending thousands on pay-per-click ads or traditional advertising. They also offer crowdfunding promotion to promote crowdfunders and their campaigns or projects.


2. Don't forget the purpose.
Your website needs to clearly COMMUNICATE your business intent to prospective customers. This starts by communicating your intent to the search engines. Many small businesses place far too much focus on the look-and-feel of their website and neglect the areas that will truly make a difference, like search engines, creating a mobile-friendly site and making basic information locatable. A pretty homepage means nothing if it is not easily navigable, nobody wants to search your site for how to get in touch with you.

3. Maintain engagement and collect relevant data.
The Internet has an uncanny ability to help small business owners deepen customer engagement and collect relevant customer data. Customer engagement is critical, so is data. Engagement should be something that happens immediately when clients come to your site, but it should also feel, to them, like it's happening organically. Help engage the customer. Engagement and data go hand-in-hand.

4. Old is always gold.
It is far easier to re-engage with an existing customer than it is to go out and find a brand new one. Invest in keeping your old customers satisfied. Make use of simple CRM techniques that will bring your customers through the front door and keep them engaged, monitor your website analytics and traffic often to measure consumer interests and preferences, and data mine to find what makes your customers tick and what services you can remarket to them.

5. Free is not always good.
All too often I encounter business owners who have been seduced by "free." While that DIY website or friend with a little marketing experience appears to be a great solution off the bat, the long-term effects of not fully committing or investing in your e-marketing will far outweigh the out-of-pocket expense. Don't let yourself be side tracked by a "free" price tag. While it sounds great in theory, you truly get what you pay for, or don't in this case.

The good news here is that these mistakes are easily avoidable. It's important to focus on the relevant tools that will keep your business growing. Pay attention to the everyday operations management needs and remember that the digital plane is here to help shoulder the burden. Running a business requires careful planning and execution.

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