7 Common Digital Marketing Mistakes
Digital marketing is a constantly evolving field. With so many new techniques and strategies to try, it can be easy to forget the basics and make mistakes along the way. We've put together this list of a few of the most common digital marketing mistakes we've seen in the industry. Hopefully, these tips can help you avoid these common digital marketing errors!
Not knowing your target audience.
If you don't know your target audience, how will you know if your content is reaching them? Knowing who your target audience is one of the most critical aspects of digital marketing. This is the foundation of any successful campaign, and if you don't know your target audience, you won't be able to reach them. Identifying your target audience, their wants and their needs will help you create content that speaks to their interests and needs. It also helps you set realistic goals for your campaigns and strategies because it allows you to determine how effectively they perform after launch. Targeting too small or big of an audience is a poor use of your marketing budget. This is why target audience research is one of the most critical steps in creating a successful digital marketing strategy.
Poor website design.
A widespread mistake made in digital marketing is overlooking website design. You want your website to perform well, so it has to be designed well. This includes ensuring your website is responsive and easy to navigate on any device. If your site isn't mobile-friendly, you could be missing out on a massive chunk of traffic from people using their phones or tablets to browse the internet. Make sure your content is accessible for visitors to find by creating well-organized pages with titles and headings that will help them quickly find what they're looking for. A good rule of thumb is that if someone can't find what they're looking for within ten seconds, they'll leave the page without clicking anything else. Websites that are poorly designed are unlikely to get the attention they deserve and will likely struggle on both search results and social media. It's essential that you choose a web designer who understands your business and knows how best to represent it online.
Not having a mobile friendly website.
Did you know 59% of website visits come from mobile devices? Mobile users are growing, and they're also more likely to convert. In fact, according to Google's latest findings, mobile sites that are optimized for mobile users generated up to 73% more revenue than non-optimized sites. Mobile users are also more likely to share your content on social media, engage with your brand, and spend more money! Mobile users are growing rapidly, with projections suggesting that over 90% of all internet users will soon be accessing the web from their mobile devices. Mobile is the future, so it is essential you have a mobile friendly website.
Not using SEO effectively.
Search engine optimization (SEO) is how potential customers find your business on search engines. SEO is an essential part of website design and one of the biggest marketing mistakes companies make is neglecting to utilize it. If you are not using SEO in your digital marketing strategy, people won't find your website in the search results, and you won't reach new and valuable leads for your business. You may think that search engine optimization (SEO) is only about using keywords effectively in your content, but this is just one part of the equation. Good SEO is about ensuring people can easily find what they're looking for on your website — whether it's an answer to their question or something else altogether. That will help with ranking because Google wants its users to find what they're looking for without working too hard to find it themselves.
Not doing keyword research.
Keyword research is a critical part of any marketing strategy. Keyword research helps you understand your audience, what they are looking for, and what you can offer them, which will help create your content and landing pages. It can also give you an idea of what your competitors are offering. When done correctly, keyword research will help you cater your content more effectively to your target audience—which means better engagement rates on social media, higher rankings on Google searches, and higher sales!
Not utilizing social media.
Using social media has quickly become one of the best ways to reach your target audience, build a community around your brand, and engage with them. Social media is an excellent place for you to show off your brand's personality and engage with customers in real-time. The average internet user spends 28% of their time on social media. If you are not utilizing the power of social media, you are missing out on a significant opportunity to build a relationship with your customers and boost their trust in your brand, and reach new audiences. Once you have figured out which platforms will work best for your business and created a social media strategy, you can start posting content regularly to get people engaged. If you want to take your social media strategy to another level, social media advertising is a great way to do it. Social media advertising allows you to appear in relevant users' newsfeeds and target them with products or services that fit their interests. With social media marketing, the possibilities are endless!
Not having a content strategy.
You know what they say, content is king! Having a content strategy will help you better understand your audience and create content that is meaningful and relevant to their needs and pain points. It can also help you distribute that content on the right channels. Whether it's for your social media platforms or your website, the purpose of content marketing is to provide the right content, to the right people, at the right time, and a comprehensive strategy can help you achieve this.
We hope this article has helped you understand some common mistakes people make when it comes to digital marketing. It's easy to slip up on your strategy if you don't have one in place from the beginning, but luckily Encompass Online Marketing Ltd. is here to help! We can do it all, from website design to SEO, social media marketing and everything in between! Digital marketing can be challenging, and it's easy to make mistakes. But by working with us, we can help you avoid them! Contact us today!
Written By: Trenton Ross