Here’s the five biggest digital marketing mistakes, and the steps you can take right now to avoid them.
We’re all human and we all make mistakes.
Some of those mistakes we make once and never repeat (forgot to put the lid on the blender before turning it on, anyone?), and some we vow never to do again but somehow end up repeating again and again (sure, I’ll get up early and take the bins out in the morning before the collection truck comes).
Some mistakes have limited fallout (you wore that top with those pants?) and others can be costly (I’m only running into the shop for a second, parking in the ‘no standing’ zone will be fine).
At Assemblo, the digital marketing mistakes we see tick all the worst boxes. They can be costly, erase all your good marketing efforts, and diminish your brand. Worse still, the most common digital marketing mistakes we see repeated time and time again.
Here’s the five biggest digital marketing mistakes, and the steps you can take right now to avoid them.
1. You’re not setting realistic marketing goals
It’s true that every mega-brand started out as a small business and grew to become globally recognised, but they didn’t get there overnight.
While it’s great to aim high, setting unrealistic marketing goals can actually cause more harm than good. Failure to meet expectations can be discouraging and lower motivation.
Instead, initially set more realistic marketing goals – a certain number of sales or industry recognition, for example – and with every goal reached, set new ones.
There are things you can do right now to avoid this digital marketing mistake. Make sure the goals are measurable and always analyse the results of your marketing activity. This will tell you if the goals have been reached but also where they succeeded and fell short – important information to inform future marketing campaigns.
2. You’re targeting the wrong audience (or not listening to your target audience)
As tempting as it is to imagine everyone in the world loving your product or service, the truth is, there is a particular cohort of people who will actually purchase what you’re marketing, and it just makes sense that you focus your marketing on these people.
Yet, it’s not enough to identify your target customers and to market directly to them – you need to actually listen to them. What do they want? What issue are you resolving for them? What marketing activity do they respond to?
3. You’re not implementing effective SEO
Incorporating SEO into your content won’t deliver amazing results immediately, but it will deliver results that last – as long as it’s as effective as it can be. Ineffective SEO is a very common digital marketing mistake.
Make sure your customers are at the centre of your SEO efforts, by targeting questions you think they might be keying into search, and link to content that is unique, original, and will genuinely help them.
Don’t forget your keywords, but don’t go crazy. Content stuffed with keywords is a digital marketing mistake that puts people off and can do more harm than good. Plus, search engines will penalise you for doing so.
4. You’re not using social media
There are many reasons why social media is so important as part of your marketing mix.
It can help you attract customers, get customer feedback and build customer loyalty, grow your brand, deepen engagement with your customers, and drive traffic to your website.
Yet, a huge digital marketing mistake that happens too often is when brands post and leave. It’s not enough to post regular content, you need to watch social media, and pay attention to what conversations and trends are happening.
Many successful brands are also focusing on ‘day trading attention’ as a way to identify popular culture trends and discover new marketing opportunities, especially through social media.
5. You’re neglecting your website
Websites are important places where customers can go to learn more about your business and offering, but the most effective websites are not set and forget.
Your website is a living marketing asset, which should grow, develop and change with the growth of your business, and as you come to better understand your customers, what they want and what they respond to.
Make sure the marketing elements on your website are the most impactful to your target audience, that the content is still relevant, and that the navigation is as intuitive as it can be.
Regularly spend time on your analytics, examining the effectiveness of your attraction and conversion strategies, and identify areas the website is at its best and others where it’s falling down.
The smartest digital marketing decision you can make
The easiest way to avoid any digital marketing mistakes is to speak to the marketing experts.
Assemblo is a full-service marketing agency based in Melbourne, and we know all the biggest (and smallest) digital marketing mistakes to avoid – and all the digital marketing strategies to implement to grow your brand and your business.
To find out how we can help your business, give us a call on (03) 9079 2555 or send us a note via the contact form below.