For every activity that humans pursue, Internet marketing included, there are going to be common mistakes that many (if not most) people are going to make.
If you doubt this is true, just choose a topic and type the phrase "common mistakes" into Google's search box. It doesn't matter if you choose cooking, running, starting a business, or any one of a thousand other subjects – you'll find expert advice on dodging the biggest errors.
This is partly due to the learning curve involved in picking up a new skill, but it also has something to do with the fact that human nature compels us to try to slack off, skip steps, and otherwise do things we know we shouldn't (or put off things we know we should do).
That's certainly the case with Internet marketing, where the most common mistakes we have seen, the ones that nearly every business makes from time to time, revolve around effort and intensity more than technical knowledge or skill.
To see what we mean, consider the three biggest Internet marketing mistakes you probably made in 2012, along with a cure for each in the new year:
If there is one thing that nearly every person on the planet has in common, it's that we are all creatures of habit, and we tend to choose habits that are comfortable. That leads to a huge Internet marketing mistake, which is to stay inside the area you feel "safe," which usually involves a little bit of search engine optimization, a company blog, and a few other items that you might have used successfully in the past.
While it's always a good idea to keep a winning strategy in place and "bet on your winners," the companies that are afraid to try new things are the ones who inevitably fall behind their competitors with regard to the web. You don't have to abandon what you've done in the past, but you should always be integrating new tools and techniques into your online marketing plan.
Most business owners and executives understand the benefits of having a strong company blog and social media profile: You bring readers and potential customers back time and time again, increase your search engine profile, build brand loyalty, develop a following in the market, and so on. And yet, even though they want to enjoy all of these benefits, most don't invest serious time or money into either blogging or social networking.
The good news is that your blog and social profiles can be extremely effective, and offer high-ROI over the long term. The bad news is that, if you want to succeed with them, you can't post or share irregularly and expect them to work. Regular care, attention, and creative thinking are required.
Speaking of creative thinking, that's probably the one thing that's been missing the most from Internet marketing plans in 2012. As competition is increasing, customers are paying more attention to the businesses that stand out for their creativity, ideas, and interesting messaging, and paying less attention to generic web pages, e-mails, and other communications.
The bottom line is that just "sticking to the script" with standard marketing messages probably isn't good enough in your market. If you want to draw attention, and get the maximum impact for the money you’re spending, you'll need to think outside the box and engage buyers in a unique and interesting way.
Although these Internet marketing mistakes were incredibly common last year, you can banish them from your business in 2013. Just follow these tips, get a great business web design and online marketing partner on your side, and see how easy it is to get your company moving forward on the right foot.
The team at Kayak has craeted a chart for your free reference around the ROI of specific online marketing activities. Please have a look and feel free to bookmark it.