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If set up well, online marketing has the potential to generate a consistent passive income. There are countless stories of first-time entrepreneurs who have made a fortune selling their products and services through online marketing. However, there are also numerous stories of failure, where individuals have invested their money and lost it or only recovered a fraction of their investment.

The process of online marketing can be broken down into three phases. In phase one, the goal is to drive traffic to your website and get visitors to opt-in to your system. In phase two, you focus on converting these opt-in leads into paying customers. Finally, in phase three, your aim is to retain these customers and encourage them to make repeat purchases.

Each of these stages comes with its own risks. One wrong move in online marketing can spell disaster for your business.

Here, we outline seven fatal sins of online marketing that you should avoid at all costs. Not only will we explain why these sins can be detrimental to your success, but we will also provide alternative strategies that can help you achieve greater success.

Fatal Marketing Sin #1: Sending Traffic to Your Homepage

When you invest in driving traffic to your website, you are putting money on the line. The only way to see a return on your investment is by selling your products or services. Therefore, if someone clicks on your advertisement, you want to maximize your chances of making a sale.

However, studies have shown that a staggering 92 percent of first-time visitors to a brand’s website have no intention of making a purchase. Even among those who do intend to buy, only 32 percent actually make a purchase. This data, collected from a study of 1,112 consumers in the United States by Episerver, highlights the importance of getting prospects to opt-in and provide their email addresses. By establishing a relationship with these prospects and nurturing them with educational information, you can build trust and credibility that can ultimately lead to sales.

The best approach is to direct traffic to a landing page that is solely focused on getting visitors to opt-in. Sending traffic to your homepage is a mistake, as homepages often have distracting elements like menus and too much information that can deter visitors from opting in, even if you include an opt-in form.

Fatal Marketing Sin #2: Sending Cold Traffic to Your Sales Page

Directing cold traffic (people who are not familiar with your brand) to your sales page before they have had the opportunity to opt-in can be even more detrimental than sending them to your homepage. Less than one-third of potential customers who are willing to buy from you actually make a purchase on their first visit.

By sending traffic directly to your sales page, you risk losing these potential customers forever. They may see your price before establishing a relationship with your brand, and if they decide not to purchase, you have no way to follow up with them. This means you have essentially wasted your advertising investment.

Fatal Marketing Sin #3: Investing in Traffic Before Investing in Your Sales Funnel

Why would you spend money on driving traffic to your website if you have not yet set up a solid sales funnel that can convert that traffic into sales? It is important to prioritize building a good sales funnel, as it is the key to generating sales conversion.

A robust sales funnel includes a series of email letters that provide valuable content to establish trust and credibility with your prospects. It also includes one or more landing pages with persuasive content and a strong offer. Finally, an order page that confirms the offer and provides a fast and easy way for buyers to complete their purchase is essential.

Fatal Marketing Sin #4: Not Knowing Your Target Market

One common mistake that marketers make is targeting too broad of an audience. By trying to reach everyone, you not only incur higher costs, but you also experience lower sales conversion rates.

Before investing in traffic, it is crucial to conduct thorough market research. This will help you identify the demographic, psychographic, and buying behavior characteristics of your true target market. Armed with this knowledge, you can craft marketing messages that are most likely to resonate with your audience.

Fatal Marketing Sin #5: Not Segmenting Your Contacts

The days of one-size-fits-all marketing messages are long gone. One of the advantages of online marketing is the ability to segment your contacts and provide them with personalized experiences.

There are several ways to segment your contacts, such as using custom fields and tags. By grouping your contacts based on specific criteria, you can tailor your marketing messages accordingly. This personalization can lead to increased sales conversion and higher customer satisfaction.

Fatal Marketing Sin #6: Not Split Testing Your Campaigns

Split testing is a crucial tool that allows you to compare the effectiveness of different versions of your landing pages. By focusing on one variable at a time, such as headlines, pricing, offer, or design, you can continuously improve your results and achieve higher opt-in rates or sales conversion.

It is important to designate a control version and compare the results of your “test pages” against it. When one of the test pages outperforms the control, it becomes the new control.

Fatal Marketing Sin #7: Not Investing in a Downsell Campaign

Research has shown that as much as 67 percent or more of customers may abandon their shopping carts. However, you have the opportunity to recapture over one-fourth of these lost sales through a downsell campaign.

A downsell campaign involves a series of messages that target customers who have abandoned their shopping carts. Each message contains a persuasive offer and links to a dedicated landing page. By re-engaging these customers, you can turn lost sales into increased sales conversion.

In summary, committing any of these online marketing sins can have dire consequences for your business. However, by implementing the strategies we have outlined, you can greatly increase your chances of success. These strategies can help you achieve higher opt-in rates, increased sales conversion, and a greater return on your investment.

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Ihab Salloum