5 Expensive Mistakes You’re Making On The Internet

Are you using the internet effectively for your business, your non-profit or even your own personal message? You might be, or you might just think you are.

The opportunity is huge and it’s changing every day. More than anyone, small groups and organizations need to know how to use internet tools to their advantage. But without big budgets, how can you get the skills you need?

For starters, you can take the Internet Marketing Basics class I’m teaching through the Brookfield Parks and Recreation department. Call (203) 775-7310 to register.

In the meantime, stop making these 5 mistakes right now.

1. Be Consistent

92% of online adults use search engines to find information online. When was the last time you picked up your paper phone book for any reason other than to squash a bug? A key element of local search is consistency in your business name, address and phone number (NAP). If you call yourself “Bob’s Pizza and Pasta” on your website and “Bob’s Pizzeria” on your Google Place page, you’re making it harder for the search engines to know that you are really you. Pick a NAP and go with it.

2. Test Your Website

This is easier than it sounds. At its core, a usability test is about testing how usable something is. Nobody thinks their baby is ugly. You can’t judge your own website. You need someone else. Ask a friend. Ask a neighbor. Give them a task to complete on your site and watch them do it. Ask them to narrate their thought process while they work. Resist the urge to intervene and tell them why they’re wrong. You’ll learn something. What you might you might learn is that the “check out” button you think is obvious isn’t being seen by people who are ready to buy. That’s money left on the table, but it doesn’t have to be.

3. Link Online and Offline Activities

Your online presence isn’t separate from your printed materials, your commercials or even what people see in person. It all contributes to how they see you and your brand. Your designs should be similar. Basic information like store hours or special offers should be accurate and consistent. More and more, people are looking online for local information like shopping, restaurants and local news. Your online presence has to be just as fresh as your store window. And please, put your URL on your printed materials.

4. Know What People Are Saying About You

Even if you aren’t using social media to market your business, your customers probably are using it. You need to know what they’re saying. If they aren’t happy, you need to know that and you need to know why. Like it or not, social media has shifted the power of your brand from you to your customers. Your brand is what your customers say it is (if you don’t believe me, ask Komen). You can’t ignore the public, but for most organizations, this is a good thing. When you have happy customers, jump on it! Thank people who are singing your praises! Offer them something special. Either way, you need to be part of the conversation.

5. Make Things Easy

What do you want people to do on your site? If you want them to contact you, don’t hide your contact link at the bottom of the page. If you want them to make a donation, place the donation button somewhere prominent. Research shows that most users stay on a page only long enough to read about a quarter of the text.  Users judge the value of a page very quickly – you have about 10 seconds to convince a user that your content is worth their time. Your content needs to be tight and your goals need to be clear. If you don’t know what you want them to do, and you’re not designing your page for it, you can bet your users aren’t going to spend the time to figure it out.

To learn more about how you can be more effective online, join me for the first of two Internet Marketing Basics classes on Tuesday February 21st. Call (203) 775-7310 to register.