Fear Factor: Scary Small Business Marketing Mistakes

Posted 30 October 2014 12:00 AM by Jennifer Andrasik

Is your small business sending lifeless emails to uninterested zombies? Dead silent to complaining customers? Scaring the pants off your Facebook followers?

In the era of digital marketing, there are also new-age digital rules to keep customers engaged, happy and coming back for more. When promoting your small business, be sure to avoid these scary marketing mistakes.

BEING DISTURBED BY DIGITAL

Does the thought of managing things like a website, Yelp reviews, social media accounts and email marketing newsletters send a shiver down your spine? Prepare to be irrelevant. A 2014 study by Deloitte titled, "The New Digital Divide," found that by the end of 2014, 50 percent of every dollar spent in stores will be influenced by the internet. Another survey by Dimensional Research found an overwhelming 90 percent of respondents said positive reviews influenced their buying decision. Today, the core of any marketing campaign starts with being online.

DEAD SILENCE

What's the first rule of good marketing engagement? Being responsive. According to Forbes, 81 percent of Twitter users now expect a response to questions and complaints on social media the same day they're posted. Breaking the silence could also mean high praise. Survey results also say that 71 percent of consumers who received a quick response on social media would recommend that brand to others. That's compared to 19 percent who received no response.

Never underestimate the power of positive interaction to empower your audience. Not only does this increase your brand's perception for that individual customer, but it enables them to serve as a brand advocate across their online networks, as well. Consistent engagement from your company is the spark that can create strong returns and increased consumer loyalty in a digital sharing environment.

MAKING SOCIAL FRIENDS SQUIRM

Speaking of social media, small businesses could benefit from the rule "Less is More" when posting photos and updates. Some of the work you do might not be pretty, so keep some of the details under wraps.

"A business like Green Solutions Lawn Care & Pest Control deals with some stuff that would make even their most loyal fans squirm," writes the email marketing company Constant Contact. "But instead of posting pictures of grubs and roaches, they share pictures of pristine lawns and links to helpful lawn care articles." Pictures and rich media are easy to share and attract more attention, but be sure you're placing that focus on images that send the brand image you want to portray across digital platforms.

SENDING LIFELESS EMAILS

The easiest way to breathe some life into your email marketing campaigns is to send them to segmented groups of people. People get an overwhelming number of emails every day. According to Constant Contact, the open-rate for emails in the professional services industry is 24 percent. Work in the transportation industry and the average open-rate is 25 percent. Failing to tailor your email campaigns to specific audiences is a surefire way to decrease clicks.

Adding variety to email subjects and testing email content not only paints a clear picture about your customers' preferences, it can breathe life into your FAQs and tips, making them more likely to live on in other digital formats, as well.

Do you know other marketing mistakes not mentioned above? Share them in the comments section below!

Want to make sure your business doesn't make mistakes? Request a demo of Fleetmatics to see how we can help optimize your business today!