4 Digital Mistakes Guaranteed to Hurt Your Business

When it comes to digital marketing, there are lots of things you “should” do, and there are also several things that you can’t afford not to do. Below are the four worst mistakes you can make, and the simple solutions.

1.Your website is not optimized for mobile

It’s great that you have a website – not having one would be a ginormous mistake. Still, you’re not in the clear yet. If your site isn’t optimized for mobile, you’re in hot water that’s getting hotter because mobile search makes up a bigger and bigger slice of the search pie.

Presently, roughly 60% of web searches are conducted on mobile devices. Because Google penalizes websites that aren’t optimized for mobile, your website will not come up as high in search results for queries made on mobile devices.

If you’re not coming up high in search results, you’re missing the opportunity to win business from the people actively looking for the products or services you offer. The solution is simple: invest in a mobile-optimized website.

2.You’re not creating listings in directories

There are general directories of business like Google My Business and Yelp, and there are industry-specific directories like UrbanSpoon.com for restaurants and Healthgrades.com for medical practitioners.

If you don’t have a listing in the relevant directories, then people searching a directory for your products or services won’t find you. There’s another possibility too – because the value directories offer is their comprehensive nature, some directories will create a listing for you. The information could be wrong, but it’s there all the same, and prospective customers might be frustrated when they reach out and what you tell them doesn’t match what the directory wrote about your business.

To make sure that you’re in the game and that information about your business is presented accurately and strategically, it’s key to create and claim directory listings.

3.You don’t have high-quality brand assets

Hopefully you already have a name and logo, but if you don’t have high-quality files then it’s difficult to get people to take you seriously. This requirement isn’t just for digital marketing – it applies to traditional channels too.

Some file formats can be scaled infinitely, which means they can be made as large as needed without the contents looking pixelated or blurry. Other formats are of a set size and will become illegible if someone tries to make them too big.

Some file formats have a white background, while others have a transparent background. Using a white background when you should use a clear one can look sloppy and amateurish.

Working with a professional designer to get quality brand assets will ensure that whatever you do with your marketing, you’re presenting your brand as one that takes pride in its work and pays attention to detail. That applies to your website and online activities as well as things you print, including menus, T-shirts, banners, flyers and other materials.

4.You don’t experiment with online advertising

Do you buy Google Adwords? Do you have a page on Facebook? Do you run banner ads based on location? Do you advertise on social channels? Do you send out emails promoting your latest specials? What about text messages?

It’s not that every business has to do all of these things, but if you’re not testing different tactics, you could be missing out on a big payoff.

Whatever you do, remember that there are tons of opportunities that exist online and that failing to explore the possibilities can really limit your business’s growth potential.

Ready to test the waters? You don’t have to do it alone. Compulse Integrated Marketing provides digital marketing services to help growing businesses keep growing. We make high-quality web design affordable for small businesses, and we help larger businesses realize more advanced strategies to sustain growth. To learn more about how Compulse can help your business grow, visit compulse.com.