We're in times where every business should not only have a mere presence online and but also fully benefit from this world to build brand recognition, marketing, and sales. And if it wasn't that apparent pre-COVID-19, it has become a necessity now.

Even when the governments will ease the restrictions, the new reality is going to be different. And the savvy business owners will pivot in the direction of where the new normal is going.

Therefore, whether you're just starting your business and know the online world is the place to be or expanding your presence online, avoiding these 5 common mistakes will save you money, time, and sanity.

Mistake 1: Being present on wrong online platforms

The key to achieving maximum visibility in your business is to be present where your ideal clients are hanging out. If your audience is mostly on LinkedIn, and you put all your marketing efforts into Facebook, you won't get much success even with the best campaign ever.

Solution: Do your research first.

Find out what platforms your ideal clients go to, especially for information on issues that your offer solves, and be present there. That's how they will notice you and get to like you.

Additionally, with consistency and positioning yourself as an expert that's able to help them and you'll start gaining their trust.

If you want to learn more about this topic, including online marketing and sales, then download my free-mini course How to Find More Clients Online here.

Mistake 2: Starting your presence on too many platforms at once

Trying to be present on all the social media platforms there are, especially when you're new to the online world can be overwhelming. Every platform is different, so trying to learn their intricacies all at once can affect your consistency. And consistency is KEY in building an audience with whom you can create real relationships.

Moreover, spreading your focus and energy in too many areas, in the beginning, will most likely lower the quality of the content you put out on these platforms.

Lastly, once you have an audience, you need to nurture them by staying active, replying to their comments, showing that you care. If you don't have proper time and/ or other resources to help you with that, your brand image will suffer.

Solution: If you're just starting out, pick one or two platforms you want to be present on and get very good at.

Build the audience there, nurture them, and stay consistent. Once you've mastered them, then move on to the next one.

Mistake 3: Writing online content in your expert language

To attract your ideal client to your website and sign up for your newsletter, follow you on social media or buy from your landing page, you need to write content (a.k.a. copy) that speaks to them (a.k.a. converts). The two most common mistakes entrepreneurs make when creating content are:

a) writing in their own expert language;

b) tooting horns about their offering without really showing how it can benefit the ideal clients.

Solution: Write your content in a language that is not only understandable to your audience but also to which they can relate.

When we're passionate and knowledgeable about a topic, we tend to think everyone has the same level of expertise in it. Let me tell you that it's not true. What seems obvious to you isn't so evident to others.

So, try to go back in time to when you were a newbie to your industry. What did you think about similar offerings? How did you describe the concepts you want to share with your audience?

Additionally, talk to your ideal client and listen to what they say. Tune in to their language. How they are describing their issues? What do they want the solution to bring them? Because all they want to understand about your offer is what's in it for them. How can you help them solve their issue or reach their goal?

Once you know that, convey it in your content. This way, it will be valuable for your potential client and will attract them to buy from you.

Mistake 4: Focusing only on Likes and Follows

The purpose of your presence on online platforms is to build an audience filled with your ideal potential client, who one day will be ready to buy your offerings. Therefore, attracting a qualified audience to your platforms is vital. It's not about having 10K likes and follows from random people that will never buy from you. Because then you're just busy without really doing anything to grow your business.

Solution: Focus on attracting the right audience to your platforms rather than only a sheer number.

It's better to have 1K people following you that are your Ideal Clients than 10K who are not. The 1K people will be the ones who will sign up for your newsletter, read it, be grateful for the value you offer, and ultimately buy from you.

Mistake 5. Creating a sales funnel without a promotional plan

Sales Funnels, i.e., a series of landing pages and emails that take your ideal client on a purchasing journey, are popular because they work if done right. They automate some of your selling activities. There are many ways you can utilize them in your business.

The most important thing that many entrepreneurs overlook at first is that creating a funnel with an excellent copy on the landing pages and in emails is only one side of the coin. Only this side won't bring you email opt-ins, consult calls or sales.

The second side of the coin is equally essential and also requires a budget (sometimes even more significant than the first one). And that is promotion and advertising. You can have the best funnel in the world, but if no one knows it exists, you won't get any results.

Solution: When deciding on using a sales funnel to grow your business ensure that you have a solid promotional budget.

A robust marketing plan will help you detrmine the right amount for the budget and support the whole project.

And before I close off, I wanted to talk about the primary root cause of these mistakes.

In most cases, it's the lack of an overarching STRATEGY for the business. As you can imagine from the mistakes above, the consequences of that can be dire and painful. The crazy amounts of time spent creating posts that bring no or minimal results. The money spent on funnels that don't generate any sales. The stress, the overwhelm, and lost opportunities for spending all that time and money on activities that would actually grow the business.

That's why the main piece of advice I have for you is to start by creating an online presence strategy. It will allow you to consider all the aspects I have mentioned here and in my free mini-course How to Find More Clients Online.

Once you such a strategy, the rest will be much easier, less painful, and produce faster results. And if you don't know how to go about creating it, then let's connect for a free strategy session. During our chat, help you get started and point you in the right direction. Click here to book one.