5 things to avoid in your digital marketing strategy

Digital marketing is pretty much a necessity; there’s no doubt about that. Things have changed. Through time, more and more different industries and brands have become aware of the importance of digital marketing. Around 10-15 years ago, many people thought of digital marketing as an expense. They didn’t think it was important, and to them, it was just a number in an Excel sheet. Today, you don’t really have to convince people that they need digital marketing. They are already aware of it. That’s why it is super important that you have your strategy right. It’s made of several important factors that can make or break your strategy altogether. So, here are 5 things to avoid in your digital marketing strategy.

#1 “Everyone is our target audience.”

Okay, that’s a no from us. If you think absolutely everyone is your audience, we have some bad news. You have to know who is your audience, who is your buyer. Without that, your strategy doesn’t make any sense, and you’re just wasting your time (and money). The best digital marketing strategy is based on a detailed target audience. That’s why you can’t focus only on your product. You have to focus on your buyer personas as well.

Try describing your target audience in one sentence. If you can’t do it, that’s probably the reason why your strategy isn’t delivering. Buyer personas have critical demographic and psychographic information. Some are age, job title, income, location, interest and challenges. Some tools can help you identify, understand and reach your target audience through data and AI. You can find out more here.

It’s important to note that this information should be based upon real data whenever possible. Making assumptions about your audience can cause your strategy to go in the wrong direction. 

#2 Not having clear goals

Identifying your goals is important. They should be tied to the fundamental goals of your business. Also, whatever those goals are, you have to measure them. You can do that with the right digital marketing tools. For example, if your business’s goal is to increase online revenue by 20%, your marketing team’s goal might be to generate 50% more leads through the website than the previous year to contribute to that success.

Other marketing goals might be to increase brand awareness or generate high-quality leads. On the other hand, you might want to grow or maintain thought leadership in your industry. Whatever your goals, identify what they are and how your strategy can help you achieve them.

#3 Not evaluating your data

Whatever your industry is, there’s a need to have audience metrics. You should gather the data for it, evaluate it and understand it. Some audience metrics you should track on your website are page views, bounce rate, average session duration and users. However, your marketing data shouldn’t comprise only web analytics or ads. It can also include social media, email marketing and lead generation. For social media, you should track engagement, audience and content, amongst others.

With marketing data, you can understand different groups of customers. Then you can improve your strategy and attract prospective buyers. Marketing data provides insights into your sales analytics. It includes the content that motivates purchase, the location with the most leads and how long it takes to convert to sales.

#4 Inconsistency

Rome wasn’t built in a day. Don’t expect your brand’s online presence to fully develop in one day either. Consistency is extremely important in digital marketing strategy. Not regularly updating your feed is one of the most common mistakes. Running a digital marketing campaign can be discouraging for some. From our experience, it’s worse when there are unrealistic goals. If you overestimate your results, you’ll get frustrated and cut your digital marketing journey short before seeing any results.

Organically building a strategy that stands the test of time may take a few months or even years. Always remember that digital marketing thrives on dedication and consistent content posting. That’s why it’s super important to plan your activities to stay on track. You can use many tools and we recommend making a social media calendar every month. That way you can easily track what you’re posting on your channels. Also, every social media channel has its rules for posting content. If you want to find out more about creating the perfect content plan, here you can find great tips on how to do that.

#5 Less than enough promotion

On the other hand, having great content isn’t enough. You need to promote your content adequately. It’s best to share your posts and ads through all the platforms that connect you with your audience. Neglecting to amplify your content is one of the biggest digital marketing strategy mistakes. Be sure to rectify that now!

There are a few ways you can improve your content promotion. Start with using proper keywords. Think of yourself as a person who finds a new product or service. What’s one of the first things you do? You Google it to find out more before making a purchase. That’s why it’s crucial to use high ranking keywords if you want a larger audience to see your posts.

Secondly, avoid click baits. They’re not a good marketing tool. They might draw attention to your post, but they rarely convert to sales. They might even annoy your potential customer. You don’t want that, right?

Thirdly, use platforms that work best for your business. Not all platforms are suitable for your business. Stick with what works best for you.