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The Top 10 Internet Marketing Blunders
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We are the first to admit that there are no Internet
marketing geniuses behind the pages of this newsletter. We
continue to learn something new each and every day. But
that's what is so exciting about it -- each time we act on
our new-found knowledge our online sales increase.
You should make an effort to do the same, and this week
we're going to help you do just that by sharing with you
what we feel to be The Top 10 Internet Marketing Blunders.
Chances are you're making at least one of them, so you may
want to give the following some serious thought.
Keep in mind that the following really only applies if you
are trying to run some sort of business online, which most
of us are. You can afford to make a few blunders with a
personal homepage, but if you're running a business online
the following "rules" are written in stone.
Because the following are serious mistakes which all detract
from your bottom line, we're going to tell it like it is at
the risk of sounding elitist or egotistical. We don't want
to offend anyone, it's just that there are certain things
that you really shouldn't do. Here goes ...
Blunder #1: Using free or cheapo web hosting services.
Let's get one thing straight, you absolutely can not run a
business web site using a free web page such as those
offered by Angelfire, Tripod, GeoCities, HyperMart,
FreeYellow, etc. No matter what you may think, it just isn't
going to work. As they say, you get what you pay for. Your
web site is the most important asset you have, and it must
give a good first impression.
Besides, nothing is really free anyway. When you get "free"
web space you are normally required to show the hosting
company's banners and advertisements in prime locations on
your web site. This is absolutely insane if you really think
about it from a business standpoint.
Let's be real, if you aren't willing to spend some money on
a good web host, how serious can you be? Many good prospects
are immediately turned off by this blunder.
And while we're on the subject of web hosting, be sure to
get your own domain name. Again, if you aren't willing to
spend $60 to claim your stake on the web ... what are your
potential customers going to think? Take your business
seriously, or you will ultimately fail.
Blunder #2: Destroying your site with graphics, java, music,
etc.
This has got to be the 2nd most offensive Internet marketing
blunder. If you are running a business online, your web
site's most important job is to sell your products and
services. Anything that detracts from this should be avoided
like the plague. And we mean it, literally!
Unless you are a graphic designer, graphics that take
forever to load are not going to sell anything. And neither
is java that crashes your visitor's browser. Same thing for
anything but the most popular plug-ins. Sound or music clips
on your web site? Heck no!
Unless you are selling CDs, sound does not belong on a web
site -- not yet anyway. Sure you can argue this, but the
bottom line is that it can cause your visitors problems.
Fancy graphics, java, plug-ins, sound files, etc. do nothing
but make your pages take forever to load.
Don't take it from us, just look at any of the top 100 sites
on the web. Heck, look at Yahoo which is undeniably the most
popular web site on the Internet. When was the last time you
saw fancy java apps, needed a plug-in, or heard music coming
from Yahoo's web site?
Blunder #3: Not asking for, and acting on, visitor feedback.
This is another big one, and we can personally attest to the
value of asking for and acting on feedback. One thing that
many people seem to forget is that it's the prospect who has
to like what they see -- and not much else matters. Here's a
real-world example.
A while ago we launched a web site, and initially use a
frames-based layout. We were aware of the potential
problems, and spent lots of time tweaking it to be as
browser-friendly as possible. But after asking for feedback
we discovered that many visitors hated it.
And the scary thing is that unless we asked for feedback we
probably never would have realized this. Everything looked
and worked well for us, but a significant number of our
visitors had problems with it. We redesigned the entire site
and immediately our sales increased.
You will be literally amazed at the valuable feedback you
will receive if you just ask for it. Remember that your
prospects are the ones buying your products and services,
and despite what you may think, the way they perceive your
site and your business is what counts.
Blunder #4: Wasting valuable time on unproductive
activities.
As an Internet marketer your most valuable asset is time.
And yes, time is more valuable than money so spend yours
wisely. Because your time is a limited resource, you will
need to learn to prioritize. There are certain things that
are more important than others.
For example, consider the amount of time you spend on
various promotion and marketing activities. Do you actually
know which is most productive for you? If you don't you're
wasting precious time. Test all of your advertising and
spend your time appropriately.
Search engines are another example. One of the biggest myths
that is circulating the web marketing community is that
getting a top 10 listing will make you an overnight success.
Don't believe the hype, and don't waste your time trying to
get there.
One of the most important things you can ever do is to
automate as much of your day-to-day activities as possible.
This includes order fulfillment as well. To succeed online
in a big way, you will need to spend most of your time
advertising and marketing your business.
Blunder #5: Not managing email communications efficiently.
Your email communication with prospects and customers will
make or break you. Since most of the time you will never get
a chance to impress them in person, you really need to learn
how to use email to your advantage. Much of it is common
sense actually.
Each and every day we receive emails from people asking us
to do business with them in one way or another, and many of
them look like they were written by a 10 year-old. Spelling
errors, grammar problems, poorly formatted and difficult to
read ... you name it.
No one is perfect and we all make mistakes, but there is no
excuse for this. Get yourself a good email program, learn
how to use it, and spell-check all of your correspondence.
You know what they say, you only get one chance to make a
first impression.
For email we like Qualcom's Eudora Pro, and if you're using
your web browser for email now you really need to check it
out. Download a free demo at http://www.eudora.com -- it'll
make your life a lot easier.
Blunder #6: Failing to create and build an opt-in mailing
list.
Red flag! Alert! Serious blunder! If you do not have a
mailing list to keep in touch with your prospects and
customers, you are literally throwing money down the drain.
If you get nothing else out of this issue, trust us when we
say that you need one badly.
People buy things they want from people they know and trust.
And there's no better way to get people to trust you than to
show them that you are good at what you do. Starting an
email newsletter will allow you to keep in touch with your
audience and do just that.
With it you can keep them informed of site updates and new
products. You'll never have to worry about them forgetting
you because your name will always be in front of them. You
can even sell advertising. But most importantly, you will
build trust and relationships.
Think about it. If you wanted to become a real estate
investor, would you purchase a home-study course from a
door-to-door salesman or someone who had been sending you a
free newsletter for the past year? Starting an opt-in
newsletter should be a top priority!
Blunder #7: Ruining your reputation via inappropriate
advertising.
A list of Internet marketing blunders which didn't include
spamming just wouldn't be complete. Despite what you may
have heard, there is no better way to run your online
business into the ground than the act of sending unsolicited
email. It is the ultimate blunder.
If you have to learn this the hard way than so be it, but
don't say we didn't warn you. For every spammer that is
actually making any money, we can show you 10 responsible
marketers who are making lots more. There is absolutely no
reason to spam.
The same thing goes for posting ads in Usenet newsgroups
where they don't belong. Why hassle with the negative
effects of these questionable methods when there are so many
ways to advertise online? Forget morality issues, it just
makes no business sense.
The most important asset you have as an Internet marketer is
your reputation. And spamming is about the fastest way
possible to ruin it, short of blatantly ripping people off.
If you have any intentions of being around to realize
long-term profits, please don't spam.
Blunder #8: Forgetting that marketing is the key to your
success.
Even if you have the greatest product in the world you will
never sell anything if you don't tell anyone about it.
Without advertising there will be no prospects, and without
prospects there will be no sales. It sounds like common
sense, but it's also a common blunder.
You only have to do two things to be successful in business,
and you only need to do one of them on a regular basis. Can
you guess what it is? If your online endeavors are not as
successful as you'd like them to be, do yourself a big favor
and return to the basics.
First of all, you need to develop a profitable business
model. Until it has been proven that you have a viable
product or service and a method of selling it that turns a
profit, anything else is premature. Do not waste time and
money promoting a dud, testing is critical.
Once you have determined that your business model is sound
you should concentrate most of your efforts on promoting it.
If you make $10 per sale, you simply need to find 100,000
customers to make a million dollars. Marketing is the
lifeblood of your business.
Blunder #9: Thinking you're going to get-rich-quick online.
Here's another blunder that isn't exactly limited to the
Internet, but it is just as dangerous as the others. If we
had to pick just one, this would probably be the number one
cause of failure -- both online and in the real world.
Making money is easy, but you must work for it.
A successful online business isn't built overnight, it is
the result of many late nights. If anyone says that they can
teach you to make a substantial amount of money without hard
work, run as far away as you possibly can. And be sure to
bring your checkbook with you.
The get-rich-quick mentality seems to be quite popular
online. But the truth is, there really isn't a way for the
average person to do so. And getting caught up in the hype
is only going to delay true success. Save yourself lots of
grief by accepting the fact that there is no free lunch.
We're still not sure why the get-rich-quick mentality is so
prevalent on the Internet, but we do know one thing. There
is nothing mystical about making money online. With some
hard work and a little perseverance, absolutely anyone can
do it.
Blunder #10: Not understanding the real power of the
Internet.
The Internet is a communications tool. It was created for
this purpose, and you'll get the most out of it if you use
it as such. There has never been an easier or more cost-
effective way for a business to reach its target audience,
and there never will be. So take full advantage of it.
Use the power of the Internet to reach millions of customers
all over the world. And then use it to provide them with the
sort of customer service that was impossible without it. Use
the Internet to gather information, research the
competition, and network with others.
There is a goldmine of information and resources floating
around in cyberspace, but you have to know where to find it
all. Learn how to use the search engines to easily find
almost anything you need and your productivity will
skyrocket. This tip alone is invaluable.
In a nutshell, use the Internet to communicate more
effectively. Don't forget that business is about people, and
that the Internet is nothing more than a great way to
interact with them. Don't hide behind it, get involved and
witness the way it changes the world firsthand.
There you have it, our Top 10 Internet Marketing Blunders.
Sure there are lots more, but these costly mistakes are
common and they provide a good starting point. If you steer
clear of these Top 10 Blunders, you are absolutely
guaranteed to be more successful on the Internet.
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