5 Marketing Mistakes That Keep You From Having High Paying Clients All Year

As a self-employed entrepreneur, you know that the overall goal is to reach that sweet spot of a steady flow of business with a solid clientele you love. To accomplish this, it’s worth reconsidering the methods you use to market your services effectively and stand out as a pro in your field. Even if you are hugely talented, you probably won’t be able to draw in clients if you don’t use effective  marketing techniques. There are quite a few marketing mistakes that many small business owners and entrepreneurs make, even if they are in-the-know. Sometimes it’s because they’ve never had to enter into the digital marketing arena before, other times it is simply because they don’t have enough time in their day to effectively market their business. Here are a few of the most common marketing mistakes small businesses can make and how a Virtual Assistant can help you correct them:

#1: Not Updating Your Weekly Blog
There are so many reasons to have a blog posted on your website on a weekly basis. The problem when you are a busy entrepreneur is that it can be difficult to find time in your work week to write one. That makes it a fantastic task to give to a Virtual Assistant experienced in copywriting. A great Virtual Assistant can take your guidelines and expertise to craft a fantastic blog that will address any topic you’d like.

A weekly blog can be the key to correcting a number of other marketing mistakes that are included on this list. A blog will help build up your reputation online as an expert in your field. Posting a blog every week will keep your website looking current and fresh, as visitors will see that you make weekly updates. It’s great for search engine optimization (SEO) too! Having a large collection of blogs will also give you a great deal of content that you can use to engage with potential customers on social media. You can use them to boost the level of content included in a weekly ezine. There is no shortage of the benefits provided by a weekly blog!

#2: Not Regularly Engaging with Social Media
The online conversation is more important than ever for a small business and entrepreneurs. If you aren’t engaging with your customers online, then you are missing an incredible opportunity to draw in both old and new clients alike. The issue is that it can take a lot of time to write a week’s worth of Tweets and Facebook posts.

Working with a Virtual Assistant on your social media can save you a tremendous amount of energy, while also keeping you fully engaged with your online audience. We can schedule your social media posts to go out at peak times of engagement, and craft Facebook ads that will draw viewers to your Facebook page and business’ website.

#3: Having an Outdated Website
In the very early days of your small business, we understand why you might feel like you can save some money by building your own website. Website design can seem like a big expense, so why not use one of the templates offered by a web creator tool such as WordPress? Although WordPress offers unparalleled and simple design tools, there is a lot more to a website than just its look. Today’s average digital customer will be able to tell within seconds of landing on a website if they are looking at professional created content or an amateur job.

A great website needs professional web copy that will convert. It needs proper search engine optimization (SEO), to get it rocketing up the search results. It needs custom designed graphics that illustrates your brand. And it needs to be constantly updated to prevent it from becoming out of date. These aspects of website design take time, as well as specialized expertise, to really make your website look professional. A Virtual Assistant experienced in WordPress and website design can take care of all of these aspects, building you a professional website that will represent your small business online in the best light possible.

#4: Forgoing Email Marketing
One of the most important tools you have at your disposal as a small business owner is your email list. Developing a database of your clients and prospects will allow you to reach out to all of them at once with important messages and information about your business. Many entrepreneurs don’t take full advantage of their database, or worse, overuse it, spamming their clients with emails.

An experienced Virtual Assistant knows exactly how to craft marketing emails that will avoid your clients’ spam folders and attract views with interesting and engaging subject lines. From developing an eye-catching design for newsletters, to writing engaging email copy, a Virtual Assistant can maximize the effectiveness of your email marketing and develop a strategy that will make best use of your email list.

5: You Don’t Ask for Referrals or Testimonials
No one likes to feel like we are imposing on our clients. They hire us, we provide a product or service, and that’s often the end of the business transaction. If you have a fantastic interaction with a client or they express an opinion of how great it was to work with you, there is absolutely nothing wrong with asking them for a written testimonial or referral. The worst they can say is “No”, (I have NEVER had anyone say no) so why not ask them? If they say yes, you will have a powerful testimonial that you can post on your website or use in your social media marketing. The best advertisements are truthful ones directly from your clients.

As an entrepreneur or small business owner, there are only so many things you can do over the course of your day. Sometimes, simple marketing mistakes, like the ones list above, are almost inevitable, as you just don’t have enough time to log onto Facebook and make a couple of posts, let alone keep on top of an editorial and email marketing calendar. This is why hiring a Virtual Assistant can be such a valuable resource. By contacting me, I can help you avoid all of these marketing mistakes, maximizing your business’ marketing potential and increasing your engagement with both current and potential clients.

Honestly, the biggest headache with hiring a virtual assistant is finding the right person (or team). But once you have them in your corner, you might be astonished at the number of things you can accomplish! To get a better idea of just how useful we can be, I invite you to download my free Workbook: How to Use a Virtual Team to Grow Your Business and Get Your Life Back! 

But if you already believe that my team and I are the right fit, please feel free to contact me here for a free consultation. I can’t wait to work with you to make your business a massive success in the upcoming year!