by Contributing Author
1. Advertising a business without a promotion strategy
Many entrepreneurs do not consider it necessary to think through a marketing strategy. Promotion of the project comes down to the fact that advertising is bought thoughtlessly, on the principle of “to take advertising space. And in the end, it turns out only to waste the budget.
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Before investing in online business promotion, you need to think about the future system of sales and marketing strategy. The unsystematic attraction of clients is relevant only for trendy niches with low competition. But this is rare.
The entrepreneur must know what sites he will be promoting, what audience he wishes to attract, and how much he is prepared to pay for this. It is important to monitor the results of advertising campaigns to assess their effectiveness and work out not only the process of attracting clients but also the service. This is all part of one complex mechanism: business promotion.
2. Using low-quality content
Many startups underestimate the power of good content. Why does a site need professional product photos? It’s fine as it is. And why order a competent text from a copywriter if you can write something yourself, but for free? And why add a description of the product? It’s all clear. You can go on for a long time; the meaning is clear.
Content in your online project must be of high quality – informative, helpful, pleasing to the eye, with good texts. Good content on the site, in some cases, can override the disadvantages of the site design. To save money on this is not worth it.
3. Ignore customer service
Very often, entrepreneurs forget to set up customer service. It seems that customers will buy everything anyway since they need it. But an online business that doesn’t interact directly with its customers should create the most comfortable experience. A customer can quickly move from one seller to another on the Internet if he is not satisfied with the service. It is enough to click and go to another site.
To avoid losing your customer, you must interact with visitors to the marketplace. Tools such as chat, polls, SMS or mailing lists, comments, and feedback are helpful. In the end, both customers and you will win. The former will get a quality, convenient service, and you’ll increase their loyalty and build a customer base. And for an online business, this is very important.
4. Don’t think about the convenience of the payment system
Let’s continue to talk about the quality of service. For an online business, it is essential to set up a payment system to make it convenient for the client. The simpler and more varied it is, the easier it is to persuade the client to buy. Various details influence the decision: from the order payment system (100% prepayment or advance system, the possibility of cash on delivery when purchasing goods) and ending with the trust in the same method of payment acceptance (card, PayPal, “online wallet,” etc.).
Many people do not think about building a convenient order payment system, which causes the business to lose some potential customers.
5. Complicate the ordering process
Very often, the business owner – intentionally or unknowingly – arranges a real quest to “make an order” for the client. The options and motives for complicating the ordering process can vary. Someone wants to get the most information about the client and requires mandatory registration. Someone saves on-site development, leaving the most straightforward and most uncomfortable automation system. Someone processes requests manually, using messengers, and setting inconvenient time limits: “Acceptance of requests on Thursdays from 9 to 10 o’clock.
Remember that Internet users are lazy and don’t like to put in any effort. They want to make a purchase as quickly and efficiently as possible. Extreme conditions and requirements at the stage of ordering irritate the customer and sometimes can lead to rejection of the purchase. Simplify the ordering process as much as possible.
In conclusion
Launching and establishing an online business is not an overnight task. Regardless of the seriousness of your intentions and the scale of the project, the above-mentioned mistakes can severely damage your work. That’s why you need to assess your capabilities, plan your budget and determine your marketing strategy in advance.
But here, we should be wary of another mistake that aspiring entrepreneurs make: a long start. Endless tweaking, striving for perfection, collecting data, thoroughly studying the material, and thinking it through is just as bad as a complete lack of preparation. Everything is good in moderation. To get started, start your business. The rest will come with experience. So just try it. The most important thing is not to stand still, always try to develop.
