Marketing Your Business Online: The Devil is in the Details

I wish I was better at catching my own mistakes when marketing my business (or doing other things). I hate it when I send an email to my list, and someone immediately replies to let me know I have a typo. 🤦‍♀️

I’m like…”Oh, great! What the heck can I do about it now? The email’s already been sent, and I can’t take it back.” I will usually rationalize to myself that I’ll only look like an idiot to the 34% of people on my list who will actually open the email. And I will cross my fingers, hoping a big percentage of those people will be like me and won’t even notice it. 🤞

(Confession: Saying this aloud makes me even more nervous because I guarantee I have some kind of spelling or grammar mistake in this message. I am convinced I was born with a brain missing the parts required to spell or cook.)

I’ll get back to that topic and what it has to do with marketing your business online in a second, but first, let me set the stage…

I used to call my son “The Little Engineer” because he was constantly inventing and building things. When he was around 5 years old, I caught him trying to burn our house down make a hot air balloon in the kitchen with a candle and a garbage bag. 🔥

Another time, he created “automatic gate and door closers” with rubber bands looped together. Of course, this meant we all had to do the limbo to get into each room (which is an easier job for a kid about 4′ tall than his grown-up parents). But, as he said, “At least our doors close automatically, Mom.”

Here’s a picture from several years ago when he wanted to snorkel in the deep end of the pool. Yes, that is a hose he stole from the dehumidifier and tied around an inner tube. His plan was to have the inner tube float above the water to allow him to breathe while he sat on the bottom of the pool. Unfortunately for him, staying on the bottom was a bigger issue than he expected, and his mom was mean because I wouldn’t let him tie weights to himself. 😉

The point I’m trying to make is that he’s a good problem solver and he’s naturally mechanically inclined, unlike me. I still have to think, “righty-tighty, lefty-loosey” when I pick up a screwdriver.

So, when the new rocking chairs I ordered for the front porch arrived, I decided to ask him to put them together. About 20 minutes into the project, he looked up and asked, “How much did you spend on these? They’re total junk.”

The screws kept pulling through the holes in the frame, so if someone tried to sit on the chair, they’d end up on the ground with a bruised tailbone. The instructions were about as clear as a 2D ultrasound photo to a first-time parent, and it was impossible to figure out what went where.

My husband took a look and realized we were missing parts. They forgot to include washers in the box. After a quick trip to our local True Value, the problem was solved. 

So how does this relate to marketing? 

It’s a great reminder that when marketing your business online, the devil is in the details. 

Have you ever given up on a marketing strategy, killed an offer that didn’t convert, or trashed a lead magnet because it wasn’t working for you? 

In many situations, that would be like throwing out perfectly good chairs that only needed a couple of 5¢ washers. 

Here are a few things you might want to look at, because one small change can make a world of difference.

Headlines

Headlines get attention and keep readers moving down the page. If you have boring headlines, it encourages people to stop reading, so make sure yours are eye-catching and exciting.

They also help people in a hurry to get the idea while they skim down the page. Try scrolling down your page, reading your headlines, and seeing if you get the message by the time you get to the end.

Don’t be afraid to highlight the benefits of your services. After all, this is the text potential clients are most likely to read.

Section Length

Have you ever landed on a website and encountered the dreaded “wall of text”? Not fun. By the time you’ve reached the 2nd or 3rd line, your brain has probably shut down. Let’s avoid this.

Try to keep each section under a heading short. People are far more likely to read if they know they won’t be spending a lot of time or energy on it.

When you have short sections, readers can hop down the page like they are hopping across a creek on a series of stones. Next thing they know, they’ve read all the way to the bottom!

White Space

The more you clutter your page with text and images, the harder it is for a person to read your message. Make sure you have plenty of “white space” (space with nothing in it). This helps draw attention to what you want it on and helps move them down the page.

Images

Your images serve to attract attention and reinforce your message. If you have boring or unrelated images, they will not do their job.

Keep in mind how you want people to perceive your brand while you pick your images. For example, do you want to focus on people or terrain? Try to be consistent.

Call to Action

Don’t make people try to figure out what you want them to do. Just tell them.

Be clear. And add the benefit they will receive by taking the action. After all, which is better, “Subscribe” or “Subscribe and Find Peace of Mind”?

Getting a second set of eyes on something can help. 👀

I had a client who did advertising for huge brands like Coca-Cola, Disney, and Carnival. I asked him, with his marketing background, why he hired me. He said, “Trying to do my own marketing is like cutting my own hair.”

That’s so true! When you’re in the trenches of your business, it’s easy to miss what might be obvious to someone with a fresh perspective. And like misspelled words or missing washers, little mistakes can make a big difference.

So, if you’re struggling to market your business online, before you ditch what you’re working on to start something new, find someone with the knowledge and perspective who can see what you can’t.

I’d love to be that person for you! Join our Get Leads & Clients membership to get my eyes on your marketing each week!

Hope to see you on the inside.

Happy marketing!

🙂 Heather