Marketing Red Flags

Is your online marketing free from these common red flags?

Imagine yourself standing on stage with millions of people watching you. Now, imagine what they are doing… are they sitting on the edge of their seats, excitedly waiting to hear what you have to say? Or, are they looking at their phones, distracted by today’s fast-paced world even though you are right in front of their faces?

The truth is that if you don’t have a branded, professional online presence for your business, but you’re still putting forth the effort to market online, you’re wasting your time. Today’s digital world is inundated with options, and that ideal target audience you’re trying so desperately to reach, is the same audience other businesses just like yours are marketing to as well. 

Why should they pay attention to you? Why should they trust you? You’re literally just a stranger off of the Internet to them - the kind of creep they’ve been warned about since childhood. If you come at them as a fresh new face, marketing a business they’ve never heard of, you better believe they are looking for red flags, no matter how much they might need or want your products and services.

I know you’re not really a creep. You’re a small business and you’re passionate about helping others! So how do you avoid those red flags and get people to trust that your intentions are good? 

By creating an online presence that people can easily recognize and trust. The more branded and recognizable your business is, the more they view your content as it comes across their feed like an old, trusted friend. Or, if they’ve (virtually) met you for the first time, creating a clean, polished look for your brand is like showing up to on that stage in a brand new pencil skirt versus a wrinkled pair of jeans.

What are these marketing red flags? Here’s a list of the most common mistakes people make when marketing online:

Spelling errors:

The Internet is full of grammarians ready to pounce! If your marketing is full of grammatical errors, your audience will immediately lose trust in your message.

You lead them in the wrong direction:

Links that don’t work properly, or that lead your audience to a sleazy, used car salesmen-like landing page are a huge red flag!

Low quality images and videos on your website

Social media is one thing - not only can you get away with low quality photos and videos, sometimes it even adds to the authenticity of your messaging! But once you’ve led your audience to your online storefront, they’re checking to make sure you’re legit. According to Etsy, 90% of online buyers say that photo quality is the most crucial factor in an online sale. 

Inconsistent branding:

Who are you again? Are you the same XYZ company I found online? It’s hard to tell… so I’m just going to treat you like someone I’ve never met. Even if I’ve already started to trust you someplace else. 

Industry jargon:

Are you using words that are common to people in your industry, but your ideal client has no clue what you’re saying? Not knowing how to talk to your target audience is definitely a red flag.

The numbers don’t add up:

If you have over 10K followers, but you’re only getting a handful of likes and little to no comments on your posts, you’ve immediately lost your audience’s trust. This screams “I’ve bought followers and I’m trying to trick you into thinking I’m super important!” 

Did your business pass the test, or did you discover that you might be guilty of some of these red flags? If so, I guarantee you’re losing out on potential leads and sales!

If gathering leads and generating sales online is a big part of your marketing strategy, then take some time to consider how your presence is perceived in the virtual world. If it doesn’t line up with who you are and what your business stands for in the real world, then let’s change things up! Contact me here to set up a photography or videography session for your online store. Commercial photography starts as low as $25/images!