8 Common Mistakes To Avoid When Starting An Online Business

Starting your first business online can be an exciting yet challenging experience.

With so many ideas you have in mind, it can be easy to get distracted with all the bells and whistles of online marketing and fall victim to common mistakes. While it's good to grow your knowledge through experience, it's still better to avoid committing errors that will cost you your time and money.

Below are the mistakes you'll want to avoid when you're starting out.

1. Starting a business you're not passionate about.

Yes, it is possible to succeed in a business you don't love for as long as you put a lot of hard work into it. The same goes with running a business you are passionate about. However, following your passion involves less resistance on your part. Though nothing you do can guarantee absolute success, having a natural drive for something helps you persevere even through the toughest times.

2. Not listening to your customers.

You might be addressing a need that nobody in your market cares about. Your customers will tell you what you should be focusing on to improve your product or service so it would only be wise to listen to their point of view. Paying attention to your audience and acting on their feedback allows them to feel more valued. In return, you gain more of their trust. Start by running customer surveys and using social media tools to track your brand mentions.

3. Avoiding marketing automation.

We are in the age of marketing automation. Nearly every online business owner has embraced automation since the process helps them save time in doing repetitive tasks and stay engaged with their audience even when they're asleep or having a vacation. If you think that automation removes the element of personal touch, understand that you have full authority over which tasks to automate. These tasks/areas may include scheduling social media posts to reach global audiences, website analytics, A/B testing, email marketing, and time tracking your virtual assistants.

4. Running your business without any help.

Even if you're managing a small business, you know that you can't do multiple tasks at once and that you're not an expert at everything. You need people to help you solve problems you can't handle on your own. Outsourcing some of your tasks to a reliable virtual team will help you have a more efficient workflow. This also enables you to focus on activities that require your creativity without sacrificing quality.

5. Not having a unique selling proposition (USP).

Your unique selling proposition or selling point will give you a competitive advantage in a saturated market. Your USP is what you'll be popularly known for. Think of it as your unique offer or a factor that sets you apart from your competitors. For example, what makes TOMS unique is that they help a person in need with every pair of shoes you purchase.

6. Focusing too much on vanity metrics.

Who wouldn't be delighted with more social media followers, likes, more time on site, and downloads? While these "vanity" metrics are truly attractive and provide social proof to help you build brand authority, they do not really impact the bottom line of your business. Don't spend too much time trying to optimize for these stats. Focus more on actionable metrics that help you make better decisions. These actionable metrics are your conversion rates, revenue, A/B tests, and marketing campaigns.

7. Failing to optimize your website.

Two common Google ranking signals that beginner online business owners fail to optimize are mobile-friendliness and page speed. A website is considered mobile-friendly if its content perfectly fits the user's screen no matter the mobile device that is used. On the other hand, a high page speed (fast loading time) is important because it affects your visitors' ease of navigation and completion of online order forms.

8. Hiring the wrong people.

Hiring remote workers is convenient but risky. Remember that behind a successful business is a solid, dedicated team who shares their company's vision. Don't hire too soon. Spend time to study the profile of potential online candidates. Interviewing them via Skype call will be beneficial for a couple of reasons: You'll be able to assess the interviewee's enthusiasm for the job and let him introduce himself further. You can also ask the applicant unexpected questions and check his ability to think quickly.

By avoiding these common mistakes, you'll be able to save yourself and your business from a lot of hassle.

Have you committed one or more of these mistakes? What have you learned? Share your thoughts by leaving a comment below!