1. Problem: The Security-Leary Consumer
I was scammed by a pair of teenagers shortly after I moved into a new neighborhood. They said they were selling magazine subscriptions in order to get money for their own business start-ups as a means to escape their current conditions. Naively, I agreed to help them out and purchased three one-year subscriptions. When four months passed and my magazines still hadn’t arrived, I realized they never would. I tried calling the number on my receipt only to discover that the company was non-existent. The following year when another young man knocked on my door with the same story, I knew better and asked him to leave. Lesson learned. Although my experience was minor in comparison, today cases of identity theft and online scams are all too common; thereby making many individuals hesitant to view the internet as a consumer landscape. Rather, these people look to the internet as a means to obtain information, while preferring to conduct their business in a more traditional setting – such as a physical store or office.
Solution: Understand the consumers fear and address it head-on.
People work hard for their money and the thought of losing all of one’s life savings due to identity theft is scary. Those of us who have shopped online know that the ease and accessibility of internet consumerism can be the perfect complement to our fast-paced lives. The challenge of web-based companies is to unite these two factors and reassure new clients that safety precautions are available to make online transactions secure. Educate your clients about ways they can protect themselves as online consumers. For example, remind them that they should only enter their personal information in a secure domain (a web address beginning with https:// as opposed to https://). Always use secure and reliable web hosting providers instead of low quality bargin hosting solutions. When your client sees that you care about their identity protection and financial security, they will be more willing to conduct business with you and utilize your online services.
2. Problem: The Competition
Like a beauty queen at a Miss America pageant, your company is constantly vying for the judges’ attention – but in this case the judges are potential clients. For every service you offer, chances are, there are thousands of companies that offer the same in return. Why should a client choose company A, when they can go with company B? Let’s face it, the internet is a hodgepodge of information and enterprise, and every company wants to be the chosen one. If I am anything like the average consumer, I perform a Google search for the service I need, glance at a website or two and make a decision. Some people don’t even look a website. Instead they just call the first business that pops up in the search results.
Solution: Learn how to capture a client’s attention.
Business possibilities on the internet are endless and if you want to succeed, you must learn the art of capturing a client’s interest. This can be as simple as knowing your target audience inside and out and marketing towards them specifically. If you own a company that is selling all things newborn, don’t waste your marketing efforts advertising with antique collector websites. It may sound logical, but have you sat down and pinpointed which sites are directly related to the services you provide? Choose websites which will maximize exposure to your core audience. You must make strategic decisions when it comes to internet marketing to always stay one step ahead of your competition. In the case of baby novelties, try PPC marketing campaigns on sites like thebump.com or babycentral.com. Once you have a clear vision of who your client is, you can adjust your marketing efforts accordingly, and are much more likely to attract valuable business.
3. Problem: Instant Information
Try this: Go to news.google.com and pick a story. It can be anything. For example, I just picked “Apple” under the “Top Stories” section and instantly had access to the same stories that were written seven hours ago, and were still being updated to as recent as 13 minutes ago. Interesting, right? Now ask yourself this: How often does your company update its marketing efforts? With the level of competition among online businesses, chances are some company somewhere that is in direct competition with you, has updated their marketing information within the past thirty minutes. This is a fundamental challenge for companies who want to stay on top of their game, but cannot dedicate 100% of their resources to constantly updating information.
Solution: Commit to your marketing efforts.
Try to dedicate one hour a week towards updating and re-assessing your internet marketing goals. This ongoing dedication will ensure to all clients who visit your website, that you are committed to providing them with accurate, up-to-date information and that you are a competitor in today’s market. This can be as simple as posting a new blog once a week, or updating your Twitter or Facebook status. By being an active participant within the internet community, you will demonstrate that you are well aware of all of the trends going on within your market, thereby, gaining consumer confidence. A good content management system will help you to achieve this goal.
How A Marketing Agency Can Help You
A marketing agency can help you realize your business goals. This service provider assists businesses with the planning and implementation of various marketing efforts. Unlike a marketing firm, a marketing agency consists of individual marketers or ‘agents’ operating under one brand and working independently.
Here are the advantages of hiring a marketing agency:
Provide Expert Marketing Services: Marketing agencies use a combination of advertising, search engine optimization (SEO), press relations, and social media. A marketing agency employs highly skilled digital marketers and uses advanced marketing tools to plan, monitor, and measure relevant key performance indicators (KPI) or business metrics.
Benefit From Niche Specialization: Many marketing agencies have niche specialization, such as business-to-business (B2B) marketing, internet marketing, social media marketing, etc. You can choose a marketing agency that specializes in promoting your business niche to gain more leads and higher revenues for your business.
Less Risk And Cost-Efficiency: You’ll be incurring fewer risks because experienced marketers have the expertise in handling the required course of action in successfully implementing marketing strategies for your brand. You can expect desirable outcomes and value for your money in hiring a marketing agency. You can also avoid marketing experimentation that can be risky and costly with incorrect implementation.
Takeaway
Indeed, an internet marketing agency is one of the most effective service providers in this day and age. However, you need to be aware of the potential problems or common mistakes with its implementation and how to prevent or resolve them. Before selecting a marketing agency, ensure that you’ve done your research regarding its credibility and reliability to prevent future problems.
If you have any questions regarding Internet Marketing efforts, or feel your company can benefit from a professional marketing service, please visit https://www.affordablewebdesign.com/internet-web-marketing/, or contact us at (703) 335-1819.