3 Small Marketing Mistakes that Cost You BIG TIME Online

Come close… closer…. closer… If you think your online business will get better if you discover some amazing marketing strategy, I want to tell you something very important, “My secret to being a successful internet entrepreneur is discovering little subtle marketing techniques and tweaks that I can implement on a regular basis.” Let me tell you 3 things that you might be doing right now that can negatively affect your online sales:

1. Are you promoting your product pictures on social networks like Black Business Women Online or even on your own blog? If yes, when you share your photo, do you include a link to your product website Or even better the link that goes directly to that products page? I often see women entrepreneurs on BBWO post amazing product photos, but then I can’t find the actual ‘buy now – product detail’ page because there is no link. Have you ever heard me say, don’t be a lazy entrepreneur? Don’t do it! If you are going to post product photos of your stuff in your blog, in a Facebook photo album, or on a social network, make sure you also add an appropriate link to where people can learn more about that product and actually buy it if they want it. Forgetting to add those links is like leaving money one the table.

2. Are you sharing broken links? If I visit your twitter profile page and click on your website link that takes me to no where, that’s a problem. If I read your email in which you include a website url (in your signature) that is NOT the website you are trying to promote, that’s a problem. In an effort to try anything and do everything, I find alot of online entrepreneurs have alot of holes (broken links, irrelevant links, under construction pages, etc). If you are just doing things you SEE others do, but not doing them correctly then you are again leaving money on the table. Even if you are not tracking your traffic, people are clicking those BAD links and that is BAD for business. I’ve got ALOT of stuff going on online, but more often than not I focus on sharing my SistaSense.com link because that’s really where I want people to go. Where do you want people to go and where are you really sending them? Think about that.

3. Is your business and your blog out of sync? You notice how on SistaSense I talk about my social network, I reference my products in my posts, make sure my focus areas are in the top tabs of my blog. I’ve noticed that some of my clients biggest complaint is little to no traffic to their business website BUT their blog poorly reflects there business. Meaning, they send people to a blog that has no reference to their business or no products in posts, no business banners in the sidebar, no link in the main tab to things they REALLY want to sell, etc. If you are sending people to your blog with the goal to make more sales but your blog and business are out of sync, that is a problem.

Quick Real Life Example:
A few weeks ago I posted a quick blog post showing you websites I designed for a few of my clients. I make sure that all my blog posts automatically go to my Facebook page (another little tweak, which by the way if you are not doing, you are missing out on an additional marketing opportunity). Anyhoo, I’ve found alot of times people are quicker to comment on my posts via Facebook than via the blog. To my surprise two women left the same comment, “in your post, you didn’t include information on how to contact you for web projects.”

I was ONLY posting those examples to show what I was working on, but as I explained in my SistaSense Circle Marketing and Sales series, you have so many Marketing Moments … times when you can promote your business AND share information without coming off as a ‘used care salesman.’ That blog post was ONE missed marketing moment. I could and should go back to that post and include something like, ‘if you would like me to design/redesign your website go to…”. Long story short, when you PUT your stuff out there and Don’t also include a means for people to contact you, buy, or get more information, you are leaving money on the table.

I actually have 101 little online marketing mistakes that can cost you BIG time online. If you are interested in hearing them, do something for me… leave me a comment and let me know if you want this list in the form of an ebook, audio sessions, or weekly email. Until then be sure to take advantage of my Blogging for Business Starter Kit and Sistas Who Sell 7 Day Challenge. Also, don’t forget to find and share your holiday giveaways here. More to come! -lh