I generally go by the rule that a mistake isn’t bad as long as you learn something. However, marketing mishaps can be fatal. At best, you’ll lose time and money. The worst case scenario is losing your reputation, trust, and business. The best way to avoid the danger is to minimize your risk whenever possible. But, you may be making common digital marketing mistakes and not even realize it until it’s too late.
Common Digital Marketing Mistakes
Here are some of the more common blunders and how to turn things around. Read more common marketing mistakes for even more support in creating a strong marketing campaign.
You’re Targeting the Wrong Audience
“Cast a wide net, catch more fish” is an old adage, but it no longer works in marketing. There’s too much competition, even in niche markets, and consumers are more empowered than ever to make informed decisions.
You’ll spend less per acquisition and get a better ROI with target market segmentation, targeting qualified leads who are ready to do business with your brand.
You’re Marketing a Product
I realize that this is the point of advertising. But, you’ll convert more customers if you connect with them rather than selling to them, which is why mapping the customer journey is important.
Meet the customer where they are in their journey and engage them on an emotional level. Sell solutions, not products.
You Avoid Social Media
I get it. Lately, online communities seem steeped in unnecessary drama. But, they are still one of the best places to connect with your market and establish lines of communication.
Part of branding is raising brand awareness and generating interest. Even if you don’t use these platforms for direct marketing, they’re excellent for conducting audience research, managing your online reputation, and promoting your brand. If you don’t have the time or temperament, look into hiring a social media manager.
You Don’t Do SEO Research
Research is one of the most essential – and least utilized – resources you have at hand. Sure, you’ve studied the competition, and you look at your metrics once a week. But, do you really understand what you’re seeing or know how it affects your business?
One area where this mistake is especially egregious is in keyword research and SEO. Even if you own a brick-and-mortar business, you need an online presence if you want to stay in business. That means prioritizing local, on-page, and technical SEO so that customers can find you. If that scares you, an SEO consultant can do the heavy lifting while you reap the rewards.
You’re Neglecting Your Website
It’s not enough to just put up a website and wait for the traffic to pour in. Your website should be well-designed, uncluttered, and optimized to convert the traffic that your newly optimized SEO leads to your page.
Use a landing page with a prominent, clear call to action. Put all of the important information, such as company news, new products, and discounts, front and center. Provide multiple lines of communication. Encourage engagement with compelling content that connects with your audience. This will increase key indicators like time on page and boost your place in the SERPs.
You’re Not Prioritizing Mobile
Your website is most important, but is it optimized for mobile traffic? More than half of all online use is conducted from a mobile device, and that is expected to increase in the future. Google also indexes websites by mobile responsiveness first. Don’t make this common digital marketing mistake!
Even if customers ultimately visit your site from a PC, they’re going to conduct at least part of their product research from a smartphone. Businesses with locations in the real world will benefit from mobile optimization due to the sheer fact that so many people search for shops, restaurants, and other brick-and-mortar establishments from their smartphone and follow through immediately with a visit.
Your website should look and perform just as well on any screen. Create content in bite-sized pieces that are easy to read, experiment with navigation buttons to ensure that they’re easy to find, and run a speed test to make sure each page loads fast and completely. Nothing chases away traffic faster than tiny text on a slow page that’s only half there.
You’re Not Retargeting Leads
It takes an average of seven contacts before closing a sale. Those stats are even worse when it comes to online ads, which are easier to ignore than an actual sales associate calling or emailing you.
Recent studies show that web traffic increases by up to 700 percent when you deploy a retargeting strategy. What’s more, customers are three times more likely to click an ad they’ve seen before than a new ad.
Test various ads for effectiveness, and then make sure that you place them where your audience will see them. Just make sure that you find the right balance between running an ad once and spamming. The sweet spot is 17 – 20 ads per month or seven exposures per customer.
You’re Not Optimizing Your Campaigns
Even more than websites, ad campaigns need attention. You can’t simply post an ad and forget about it. Use the metrics built into most platforms to gauge performance and tweak your efforts according to which are getting the best response. It’s tempting to try to fix digital platforms that aren’t working, but it’s better to ditch them after an adequate trial and put your resources into proven platforms.
Your Customer Service is Substandard
Building trust by providing superior, responsive customer service is essential for marketing. New customers are taking a chance on an unknown entity, and you need to build a rapport by giving them the service they deserve at every interaction.
If there are issues, resolve them quickly. Preserve your online reputation by being proactive. Engage with negative reviews publicly rather than ignoring them. Make it easy to contact your company through multiple channels, provide 24.7 access, add a chatbot to your website to prioritize issues, and always follow up with customers.
Final Thoughts
We all learn by trial and error. But when it comes to your business, one misstep could end in disaster. Watch out for these common digital marketing mistakes above for a cleaner site and campaign.
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