After investing time and resources in a digital marketing campaign, you want results (fair enough). But it’s important to remember that digital marketing is a careful balancing act with a lot of things to consider – one element supports another, and neglecting something will create a gap or a misalignment that works against your objectives. Here are a few of the big mistakes that have proven costly for countless businesses in the digital space and some advice on how to avoid them.
Setting off without a clear goal
Clear goals lend your digital marketing efforts direction and purpose. Setting off without one would be like trying to navigate without a map or compass. You need to define what you want to achieve before you can determine the appropriate strategies and tactics to employ. Goals also make the measurement and evaluation of your marketing performance more meaningful, with the ability to track your progress and identify areas for improvement while also helping to guide resource allocation and budget planning.
Plus, a clear goal facilitates effective communication and alignment within your marketing team and across the business, helping to ensure that everyone is working towards a shared vision.
Neglecting SEO
If your site isn’t optimised for search engines, your site will be much more difficult to find. That will show in the volume of organic traffic (or lack thereof) that you receive. Neglecting SEO will cost you opportunities to connect with your target audience. Ultimately that means lost revenue, making it a rather costly mistake to make.
For a local business, it’s important to prioritise local search engine optimisation to build a presence within the community and reach a relevant audience.
Failing to optimise for mobile
With the majority of internet users now accessing content through mobile devices (60% of global web traffic, according to DataReportal), failure to optimise for mobile can lead to a substantial loss of potential customers and revenue. Mobile users expect seamless and user-friendly experiences, not slow loading times, distorted layouts, and difficult navigation. Plus, search engines prioritise mobile-friendly websites in their rankings, so neglecting it will cost you visibility and organic traffic.
Fixating on social media
Yes, social media marketing is important, but it isn’t everything. It should be seen as part of a broader structure that works together with other channels and strategies. For a well-rounded digital marketing strategy that can reach a broad audience, you need to strike a balance by incorporating the likes of email marketing and SEO. Putting all your eggs in the social media basket will stunt your potential reach with the limitations of the platform and leave you vulnerable to algorithm changes.
Not investing in paid advertising
Organic traffic doesn’t happen overnight. It takes time to build momentum, but paid advertising can lend a powerful boost to your digital marketing efforts. It allows you to reach a broader audience, increase the visibility of your brand and drive targeted traffic to your site. With Google Ads, social media ads, sponsored content and the like, you can strategically target specific demographics, interests, or geographic locations. It's a faster way to generate quality leads and achieve tangible results.
Not utilising analytics
Many business owners overlook the power of analytics in gaining insights into digital marketing performance. Analytics enable you to measure, evaluate, and optimise your marketing efforts to learn which marketing channels are generating the most traffic and to gauge the effectiveness of digital marketing strategies. It also sheds light on customer behaviour, engagement, conversions, and other key performance indicators.
Not leveraging content marketing
Creating and sharing valuable, relevant, and engaging content builds your online presence and educates audiences about your brand and product offering while establishing credibility. With high-quality blog posts, videos, infographics, or social media posts, you can build brand awareness, foster customer loyalty, and drive organic traffic to your website. It also supports your SEO by incorporating relevant keywords and earning backlinks.
Not keeping up with digital marketing trends
The digital landscape is ever-evolving, with new technologies and platforms and changing consumer behaviours. Only by keeping up with these trends can marketers capitalise on new opportunities to reach target audiences more effectively and stay ahead of the competition.
The best way to avoid costly mistakes
Few businesses have specialised knowledge and experience in the various aspects of digital marketing in-house, which is why it pays to partner with an agency that does. A good agency will conduct a thorough analysis of your business's goals, target audience and competitive landscape to develop a customised strategy that aligns with your objectives. Such a tailored approach ensures that marketing efforts are focused and optimised for maximum impact and cost-effectiveness. That’s what you can expect when you partner with League Digital, so take a look at the digital marketing solutions we can deliver.
