Many thanks to Suzanne Arthur, owner of start-cleaning-business.com, for this helpful guest blog post.
Getting into business is like buying a car. Making assumptions about how it runs can steer you wrong. When choosing a name for your start-up, for example, you’ll want to consider how it works online, as well as how it represents your business. Likewise, think about the best ways to use the significant reach of social media websites so they enhance your web marketing plan, not replace it. And what about your call to action? Even if you have the finest gizmo in the universe (and undoubtedly you do), your website visitor won’t likely buy your product or service if they aren’t darn sure what’s in it for them.
Mistake #1: Choosing A Business Name That Disregards SEO.
Example:
Back when the Yellow Pages were king, businesses vied for a name starting with “AAA” because consumers searched alphabetically. If you couldn’t be at the top of the alphabet, you got creative. Clever branding such as “Xtreem Kleen” may have worked pre-Internet, but nowadays someone looking online for a cleaning service would never enter that phrase. Humor is always refreshing, but before you decide on an LOL business name, bear in mind that it could stick with you for the long-term. The image of a hard-working gardener may not be conjured up by the name of a landscaping company in my town, The Dirty Hoe. Pulling off a risky pun has worked for this start-up so far, but it takes confidence and finesse.
Solution:
Your website will bring you traffic if it’s built smart with SEO techniques. Make your start-up business name work online as well. To start brainstorming ideas for your business, list the most relevant search words that people will enter online to find your business. Choose the most relevant terms possible for your name. It’s okay to use hyphens if you need to, like we did when naming our consulting service, start-cleaning-business.com. Keep in mind what terms people will search for.
Mistake #2: Relying Too Heavily On Facebook And Twitter.
Examples: Facebook can be stunningly ineffective and incredibly alluring as a substitute for the lazy marketer. Set up a Facebook page for your start-up, and post on it regularly with links leading back to your original webpages. But don’t do the majority of your marketing there. People will search for your business Facebook page to vet your company and see how you respond to other customers. They won’t necessarily go there to buy your service or products. The link structure of Facebook could be changed at any time, not to mention Facebook pages disappear from time to time with little or no explanation. The legalities of content ownership are uncertain, so to rely on it as a major part of your marketing scheme is to leave your company in the hands of a big business that isn’t invested in you.
Solutions: Make the effort to reach out and exchange quality content with other relevant websites. Make your business website social media-friendly, and use Facebook and Twitter as a part of a healthy, overall business marketing plan. Your traffic will come through affiliates, partnerships and links.
Mistake #3: Forgetting To Make The Call To Action.
Examples: Don’t make your visitor connect too many dots. When interested readers land on the order page for our Start a Cleaning Business method, they see a list of the benefits they will get just below the purchase button. Leave some white space around the purchase button and the text. Crowding the order page with unnecessary information just confuses your reader.
Solutions: First, identify the problem and offer a solution. What do you want your reader to do? Click a link, spread the word, purchase your product or service? Make it easy for them to do it. Clearly show the benefits they get for responding to your call-to-action. Brothers Plumbing in Denver, Colo., wants its customers to schedule an appointment. The benefits are laid out visually on the home page, right alongside the call-to-action button.
About The Author:
Suzanne Arthur owns and operates start-cleaning-business.com with her partner Ev Land. Learn how to start a cleaning business with the Suze & Ev Method.