Marketing is essential for any local business but in order to get the most out of it, it’s important to get it right.
Taking the time to plan your marketing effectively will pay off in the long-run, so don’t rush everything just to try and get the job done. This will only have a negative impact as you’ll be vulnerable to making mistakes which may have consequences for your business.
To help you out, we’ve highlighted the key pitfalls to avoid when it comes to marketing your local business successfully…
1. Don’t think your customers aren’t online
One of the biggest mistakes your business can make is to assume your customers don’t go online to search for products and services like yours. Even though virtually all adults aged 16-34 used the internet in the first quarter of 2017 (ONS), it’s no longer an activity solely used by younger generations.
Interestingly, adults aged 45+ are amongst the most likely to research goods and services online and is one of the primary reasons they use the internet (Digital 22). With this in mind, it’s crucial your business is getting found digitally to capitalise on a wide range of potential customers you can reach just by having an online presence.
2. Don’t underestimate the power of online word-of-mouth
As a local business, a lot of your customers will be driven from word-of-mouth recommendations. However, physical word-of-mouth has changed and developed into the online world. The first thing people now do if they are given a recommendation is to look it up on Google. If your business doesn’t have a website or can’t be found online, people are less likely to trust you and may choose to visit one of your competitors instead who do appear online.
It’s important to recognise that people also now use social media as a form of word-of-mouth. With this in mind, having a social media presence is a great way to raise awareness of your local business by interacting and engaging your audience with what you have to offer. Encourage customers to follow you on channels such as Facebook or Twitter and invite them to share your posts to reach more of their network.
Better still, get them to write a review on your Facebook page. Reviews are another great way to raise awareness of your business as a form of word-of-mouth. Ensure you’re actively monitoring and responding to reviews though, as you need to engage with both negative and positive comments to demonstrate you’re committed to your customers. The worst thing you can do from a customer service perspective is ignore complaints people make on social media. Use it as an opportunity to address the issue and resolve their complaint, ultimately giving the best customer service instead.
Check out our Facebook guide which includes more advice on how to win more followers using the social media giant.
3. Don’t make it difficult for people to use your website
With more people searching online, your website is probably one of the first places people will visit when searching for products or services that you can offer. So it’s important your website is clear and easy to use with top navigation, a clear call-to-action and your business contact number.
A lot of the time people will want more information after visiting a website or want to make an enquiry so prominent contact details are key along with a click-to-call button to make it easier for mobile visitors to act there and then.
4. Don’t lose visitors by not being mobile-friendly
The rate at which people leave a website that isn’t mobile-friendly (also known as the bounce rate) is often between 85-90% (Dream Scape). This is extremely high and highlights the importance of having a mobile-friendly website just to engage potential customers in the initial stages.
With 80% of people using a smartphone (Found), it’s crucial your business is thinking mobile-first in every aspect of your marketing, from online search, to your website and your emails/newsletters.
If people open an email on their mobile phone which has text that is too small to read, or they have to scroll across the page to see all of the content, or if the buttons are too small for them to click through and take further action, it’s likely they’re going to close the email, delete it perhaps or worse still, unsubscribe from future emails. In fact, 70% of consumers delete emails immediately if they don’t render well on a mobile device (Impact) so ensure your business doesn’t fall victim to deleted emails due to mobile responsiveness.
For more tips and advice to help you get in the mobile mindset, check out our dedicated guide.
Marketing your business doesn’t have to be difficult. It may seem daunting when you start out but just remember the above four marketing mistakes to avoid and you’ll soon be seeing results from your efforts that will contribute to the success of your business goals.
For top tips and advice on getting the user experience right, check out the following articles:
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