If you want to make sure that your company is as successful as possible then you need to avoid these top digital marketing mistakes. If you don’t then you may find that you end up wasting money and that you struggle to get the results you are looking for.
Not Having a Defined Audience
One mistake you could be making is not having a defined audience. 90% of companies use personas in an attempt to gain a clearer idea of their buyers. Some company leaders, particularly new entrepreneurs, believe that if they cast their net wide then this is the best way for them to expand the market. It also allows them to reach more customers. The reality is that only a few groups will bring in your primary source of revenue and that if you cast your net too wide then you may find that you are not able to bring in much revenue and that you also neglect potential opportunities. What’s more, is that this approach will stop you from having a deeper understanding of the people you are trying to sell. Knowing your customer is the foundation of every solid strategy, so make sure that you take the time to define your market and get to know the people whom you are trying to sell. The best way to do this, as over 60% of marketers recommend, is for you to create a persona and for you to identify two or three customer types.
Segment your market into a few customer types and also take the time to define them demographically. When you have done this, take the time to identify their pain points and learn their expectations. If you can do this then you will be able to hire experts for market research. Engage with prospects on social media and also have conversations. Surveys, forums and more are excellent here, so be mindful of that if you can.
Not Addressing Your Audience
Companies that take extra care of their customer experience tend to drive more revenue overall than those that don’t. Your audience is probably interested in solving their problems, which although your product may do, they don’t always know that. Instead of talking to your customers about your product features, you need to show them how your product can make their lives better. Think hard about the offer that you are making and make sure that you are always doing what you can to appeal to your audience. Articulate the journey and make sure that you understand what success looks like to you. If you can gain insight from your audience’s pain points then you can do this by analyzing their current situation through interviews. You can also conduct support cases as well as surveys. Directly communicate with stakeholders and support teams that could be familiar with your customer request.
Taking the Wrong Approach to SEO
Did you know that 93% of online experiences begin with a search engine? With well over two billion blog posts popping up on the internet every single day, it’s safe to say that optimizing your content is so important as it is the best way for you to gain visibility while attracting organic traffic. Search engine optimization is fast-changing and you do have to make sure that you keep on your toes while following the latest set of rules. There are some time-tested techniques out there though that will help you to keep your content up to date while aiding you with your ranking. When it comes to SEO, you need to include the right keywords. This applies to the keywords you’d like to rank for. Focus on keywords that have a very high search volume and focus on the ones that you believe you have a high chance of ranking for. Keyword clustering is so important here, so make sure that you are mindful of this and that you make a special effort to do this where possible. Another quality SEO tip that you need to keep in mind would be quality content. Google and various other search engines tend to favor high-quality and relevant content that is researched properly. Make sure that you add multimedia and also take the time to add visually-rich elements. If you can do this then you are bound to improve the amount of time that users stay on your site.
Making sure that your site is mobile-friendly is so important. Mobile has taken over most traffic from desktops and websites. If you can make sure that your site is mobile-friendly then this will ensure that you have a strong SEO signal. Getting backlinks from authority domains in your field will also help you quite a lot, so make sure that you keep that in mind as much as possible.
Neglecting Keyword Research
Did you know that 67% of clicks go to the first five organic results? The core of your SEO strategy should be your keywords. Neglecting keyword optimisation will mean that you end up missing out on the chance to rank organically in search. The benefits of getting your keywords right include an increase in organic traffic, an insight into the audience preferences and pain points, as well as a boost in qualified leads. The best tips that will help you with your research would be for you to find out what keywords you are ranking for and what your competition is doing. You also need to use Google’s suggestions as a top tool for your research. The more you can put yourself in the position of your customers, the better, so keep that in mind.
Campaign and Investing with No Strategy
Lack of structure and vision is one of the many digital marketing mistakes that people make. As a result, their efforts are often incoherent and hard to manage. Your competitors may also be stuck in this maze which leaves more room for you and your company to take the lead. If you want to get started with your campaign here then you need to set SMART goals. You also need to define the tools and tactics that you need to use to achieve them. You need to establish objectives and you also need to map out the strategies you need to achieve them.
Being Reckless
Did you know that only 25% of money that is spent on digital ads, ends up reaching the right people? PPC marketing campaigns on Facebook and even Google AdWords can be rewarding in terms of growing reach as well as traffic and conversions. With that being said, it can be costly to execute if you do not have a solid strategy. Before you go ahead and decide to go down the route of Google or even Facebook ads, you need to make sure you research your target audience and that you segment your ads accordingly. If you can do this and if you can run A/B testing as well then you will soon find that it is easier for you to hit all the right marks. Define your paid ads and be ready to adjust the price per click of each ad as well. This will help you to monitor the performance and it will also give you the chance to decide on the next steps you need to take.
Expecting Overnight Results.
Business leaders often get somewhat demotivated if they do not see the results they want from their campaign, right away. Facebook campaigns need a week to show conclusive statistics, as well as the overall success rate. The immediate accessibility and the fast development that comes with the online world can make it easy for you to make the wrong decisions. If you want to help yourself here then you need to know that digital marketing targets people. Be consistent and don’t be tempted to keep trying out new things. If you are then this will work against you and it will also make it much more difficult for you to come out on top.
Posting without a Plan
Poorly executed social media advertisements will, most of the time, result in you getting a negative emotional response. You may also find that you struggle to engage with new opportunities as well. At the end of the day, consistency and good timing is everything. Research has suggested time and time again that posting at certain times of the day will boost the reach of your post and it will also make it easier for you to drive your engagement rate. This can differ across different platforms, so make sure that you keep this in mind and that you take the time to assess your results before you move forward. If you can do this then you will soon find that it is easier for you to get the overall results you are going for. You may even find that you can pivot your campaign to take advantage of trends too, which again, is so important. When you are dealing with online traffic as a whole.