If your business growth has stalled, you may feel like giving up. Instead, you may need to take a step back. Reassess what you could be doing wrong.
Your online presence is crucial – even for brick-and-mortar businesses. Whether you have a virtual business or a physical storefront, the internet is key for your growth.
There are billions of internet users all over the world. That adds up to a ton of potential to tap into for your company. You may need to reconfigure your approach to the internet side of being in business.
Finally, accept that the internet isn’t going anywhere. You need to harness it to boost your bottom line.
5 Reasons Your Business Is Going Nowhere Online
If you find your business development stalling out on the web, stop, look, and listen. You may be making one of these common mistakes:
1. You’re Not Making Your Mark or Investing in Visibility
To get noticed online, you need visibility. To get visibility, you need help.
Where does this help come from? Here are a few main areas you should give your attention:
- Search engines
- Industry authorities and influencers
- Social media
Each has a specific way it can boost your brand visibility.
Search Engines
To make search engines notice you, you need SEO (search engine optimization). This is one of the most basic tasks you can do to show up in search engines and get clicks.
As a local business, this type of visibility is doubly important. It’s how people discover you when they do a Google search out in the world. For example, if someone is out and about in an unfamiliar neighborhood and wanted to grab a latte, they might search “coffee shops nearby” to find the perfect spot.
If you’re not taking advantage of SEO, you will be missing opportunities just like this one all the time. It’s the chance for people in the world to find your physical location without knowing a thing about you beforehand.
Industry Authorities and Influencers
The big guns in your industry are the influencers. These people have mega-clout. When they talk, people not only listen, they take action.
Influencers can help you stand out with a nod, a shout-out, or a mention. But how do you get them to notice you in the first place?
In short, you need to network, and networking online requires social media. This leads into the next big mistake you might be making.
2. You’re Not Building Relationships on Social Media
Social media is how you connect with influencers and your audience. However, it can’t be only about “sell, sell, sell” and nothing else. In fact, outright selling is the last action you should be doing online.
Instead, your social media usage as a brand should focus on relationship-building.
Build authentic, genuine relationships with the people you encounter on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and other platforms. If you’re in it for the sale alone, it will be clear. This insincerity turns most people off.
Don’t put you or your time on a pedestal… Nobody likes that. Get down where the people are congregating, and engage with heart.
If you focus on building relationships, the rest will fall into place. Influencers will want to help you. Customers will trust you. Both of those factors almost always lead to business growth.
3. You’re Copying Other Industry Leaders vs. Being Original
Inauthenticity can show up in other areas beyond relationship-building. This is true if you’re emulating instead of innovating.
Someone else’s success is exactly that – someone else’s. What worked for them isn’t going to work for you, because you’re both unique people. Plus, if you try too hard to emulate someone else, it will come off as inauthentic. This is exactly what you don’t want.
Instead of copying someone else’s path to the top, lay down your own path and definition of success. Think about what makes your brand special or different. Carving out your own journey will get you farther than following in someone else’s wake.
4. You’re Spreading Yourself Too Thin
Following your own path is one thing, but putting your foot in too many endeavors is another.
Sometimes, you need to hone in on what’s working. That also means abandoning what obviously isn’t paying off.
Entrepreneur says if one approach is working extraordinarily for you, dive in further. If your Facebook ads are a great source of leads, try expanding or diversifying there. If your YouTube videos are barely making a ripple, on the other hand, let them go.
Focus on what you do best, then do it full-on, to the hilt. Don’t waste your efforts by dividing them among many lackluster channels. Find what works, then go for it.
5. You’re Focusing on the Wrong Problems for Business Growth
Going for it is easier said than done, unfortunately. When you’re racing at full-speed and laser-focused on something, you can miss bigger issues.
You can’t fix the leaky roof if you think the problem is a busted pipe. Similarly, in business, you can’t get on track for growth if you’re not addressing the real problem behind the lack.
If you genuinely don’t know what the problem is, you need to sit down and do some research. Look at stats and reports. Ask your team for input. Send out surveys to get your audience’s take.
Once you unearth the real issue, you can get to work fixing it.
Remember, don’t let stuff distract you that isn’t a big deal. For instance, don’t worry about the number of Facebook followers on your business page. That number is largely unimportant. Instead, you should be looking at your engagement rates – shares, likes, and comments.
Bottom line: Don’t fall victim to staring so hard at the trees that you miss the forest.
Avoid Rookie Mistakes and Fast-Track Your Business Development
Your business growth is dependent on your actions. Make the wrong moves, and you won’t get anywhere. For true business development, it’s important to regularly take a step back and reassess. What are you doing wrong? What are you doing right? Where can you make a positive change?
For your brand to take root and enjoy fresh growth, you have to be willing to change. Thus, you need to recognize when something isn’t working and adjust your tactics. It’s this attitude that can lift your business up and drive you toward the success you crave.
Want to invest in business growth? Need help with the finer points? Let the pros here at Thrive Internet Marketing give you a leg up.
