Not doing the wrong things can be just as important as doing the right things both in life and in business. When it comes to digital marketing, mistakes can quickly compound causing more harm than good. It is truly a situation of two steps forward, one step back. As a top digital marketing firm, we regularly showcase articles on tips and techniques to improve marketing efforts. Today, we wanted to shine the light on things you should not be doing with our 5 Most Common Digital Marketing Mistakes.
Avoiding these pitfalls will save you time, energy, and most importantly conversions. There is also the frustration factor to consider. When the best-laid plans aren’t producing the expected results, it can create a great deal of frustration not only for the marketing department but the business as a whole. In some cases, a big mistake can even affect stock prices and cause people to lose their jobs.
5 Most Common Digital Marketing Mistakes
- Using tone-deaf marketing messages – Tone-deaf marketing has derailed many companies. There are countless examples over the years, such as the Kendal Jenner Pepsi. But none have been more notable than the recent Christmas ad Peloton put out that went viral for all the wrong reasons. There is the obvious body-related issue of buying an expensive exercise machine to help your partner get in better shape, whether they need it or even want to. There is the idea of spending $2400 on something your partner probably has zero interest in. Seriously, you don’t think she would have appreciated anything else? Diamond earrings? Then there is her stating how using the bike for a year has changed her, but with zero information on how she has changed, other than her terrifying facial expressions throughout the video. The company lost 1 billion dollars of value in a day from that ad.
- Targeting keywords rather than customers – Marketing is not about attracting as many visitors as possible. It is about attracting the right visitors who will convert. When a business simply targets the keywords which they feel are related to their business, they are ignoring the customers themselves. One reason why long-tailed keywords became a focal point in 2019 is that they reflect a better representation of customer intent. There should also be a focus on balancing the use of informational keywords, navigational keywords, and transactional keywords. Everything should start with the customer and their problems and needs. Then keywords should be researched to match the customer intent, using a varied mix of different types of keywords to both educate and draw customers in.
- Not optimizing all messages for mobile – Simply put, mobile is where it is at. Look around at the world we live in. Seriously, look around. People are constantly on their cell phones for a variety of reasons. Even while watching TV that phone is often within a few feet, waiting to be used to look up information, check emails, or provide entertainment during a commercial break or lull in the action. Every single marketing campaign must be optimized for mobile users in addition to desktop users. The majority of web traffic takes place on mobile devices. Ignoring that fact is, in essence, ignoring potential customers, shrinking your audience and reducing the maximum number of potential conversions.
- Creating the wrong buyer personas – Many digital marketers use buyer personas to help formulate campaigns, create content, and the like. But, far too many people do it incorrectly. Often buyer personas are lazily created based on the marketer’s own thoughts about what customers want or need. That is often why so many campaigns fail spectacularly. Think about our above point on tone-deaf messages. Buyer personas should be created based on the customers you currently have. Consider their needs and wants first and foremost. Study and learn about what drives your customers. Then, use that data when formulating the personas, making subsets as needed based on demographic information.
- Not using personalization – Personalization was on the rise at the end of 2018 and throughout 2019. Digital marketers who are not incorporating personalization as much as possible are missing the boat when it comes to connecting to customers and meeting their needs. Personalization adds to your messaging to the customer, letting them know you know who they are and are trying to meet their needs and help solve their problems. Don’t be just another faceless company trying to shove products and services at people in mass. Instead, be the company that makes marketing useful to customers by cutting through the noise and being predictive rather than reactive.
The Bottom Line
The bottom line is that knowing what not do to do can be just as important as knowing what to do. Take the time to digest the 5 most common digital marketing mistakes then review your existing marketing plans and campaigns. Remove any negatives that might be holding back your efforts which will then improve the results and your bottom line.
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