7 Deadly Sins of Marketing

When it comes to your internet marketing campaign, the net is full of potential snags. Emerge unscathed by avoiding these 7 deadly sins.

By Catherine Seda

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

The internet is always in motion. That's both good news and bad news: You can immediately change your online marketing campaigns to produce better results, but your results can also take a nose dive if you're not paying attention. Protect your campaigns from these costly mistakes:

1. Losing ad tracking code: If a previously profitable ad campaign tanks, find out if your site pages embedded with ad tracking code have been accidentally replaced. Remind your web team to download site pages from the server before working on them.

2. Failing to remove outdated offers: Keep track of your special promotions so you can replace the copy on any online campaign you're running as well as the ad's corresponding landing page.

3. Missing deferred actions: Not all prospects click on your ad and take action right away. Set your cookie length or your ad tracking solution's settings for a minimum of 30 days to properly credit marketing sources.

4. Ignoring suspicious clicks: Study the log files in your traffic reports if you notice a sudden spike from your pay-per-click campaigns. You might need to fix your campaigns, remind team members not to click your ads, or address competitors engaging in click fraud.

5. Forgetting to monitor competitors: When competitors change their offers, yours may no longer be compelling. Watch your marketing space to respond quickly with your own new promotions and maintain your lead flow.

6. Not optimizing offers: Stop running the same marketing message! Improve your campaign performance and reach new customers by continuously testing innovative offers. You'll also maintain your competitive edge.

7. Overlooking your conversion rates: A tiny increase in your website conversion rate can make your revenue and profits skyrocket, so don't focus exclusively on your marketing campaigns. Your site also plays a critical role in your marketing performance.

In your quest to grow your business by using internet marketing, respond to any warning signs, and maximize your current campaigns before you initiate new ones. You'll improve your bottom line without spending a dime.

Speaker and freelance writer Catherine Seda owns an internet marketing agency and is author of Search Engine Advertising.

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