Marketing in the ever-changing digital space requires adaptability and flexibility as new trends and developments are continuously emerging. While it’s imperative to stay ahead of the curve, it’s equally crucial to know which marketing mistakes to avoid. There are many fundamental errors that businesses make when developing their marketing strategies. Luckily, many of them are easy to avoid! Here are some of our top marketing mistakes to avoid.
Omitting CTAs (or Using Unclear Ones)
One of the most impactful ways to encourage conversions is to have a clear, concise call to action. Introducing your brand to your target audience is important, but making it difficult for them to complete the sales funnel means losing out on revenue.
Many businesses make the mistake of creating a compelling, engaging brand story and then skipping the final, most important step – including a call-to-action (CTA). If you’re not directing your customers to an actionable step, you’re going to lose them along the way.
Skipping Mobile Optimization
Did you know that approximately 56% of all online sales come from users on a mobile device? With consumers increasingly shopping on mobile and using smartphones as a tool to make buying decisions, failing to optimize your marketing for mobile devices means you’re leaving a considerable amount of money on the table.
It’s important to ensure that not only your website, but all of your advertising can be optimally viewed and easily navigated on mobile devices. Make sure to preview your ads and see if they are sized correctly for different browsers and social platforms too.
Not Tracking Results
When you invest in your marketing, it’s important to measure your return on investment (ROI). Without tracking your results, it’s impossible to know if your marketing budget is well spent. Gathering data also allows you to revise your marketing strategy according to the ROI you’re receiving.
Staying proactive in measuring your performance means less money wasted and a faster feedback cycle, enabling you to develop a high-performing marketing strategy sooner. With every marketing dollar spent, you’re also gathering valuable information about what converts and what doesn’t.
Failing to Identify Your Customers
When it comes to marketing, more is not always better. A common mistake businesses often make is defining their target audience as “everyone”. However you may have heard the popular saying, “If your target audience is everyone, it’s noone.”
Although your product or service may have a wide appeal, failing to hone in on an exact demographic makes it difficult for you to develop an effective marketing strategy. Getting clear on who exactly your customer is, where they live, and what their pain points are will allow your marketing to speak to them directly. Creating specific ICPs (Ideal Customer Profiles) is an effective way to concentrate your marketing efforts and increase your conversion rate over time.
Throwing in the Towel Too Early
Another common mistake businesses make is giving up on their marketing efforts too early. It can be discouraging to see that the money you’ve invested in marketing isn’t immediately producing any revenue, but don’t forget that data is valuable too.
Marketing efforts often take time to produce meaningful results. The early stages of your marketing efforts will help you gather data to support better marketing decision-making. The analytics you gather can be the catalyst to successfully acquiring new customers and producing revenue. Strong marketing takes not only time, but testing and tweaking. Stay the course, monitor results and adjust along the way.
Neglecting Organic Marketing
When most businesses put together their marketing strategy, it’s usually built upon a foundation of outbound strategies such as paid advertising campaigns. What many companies overlook is the power of organic marketing.
Content marketing is your opportunity to provide value to your customers, which in turn builds brand loyalty and authority. Content marketing encompasses many different outlets such as blog posts, white papers and informative articles, all of which also offer the benefit of improving your SEO.
Are You Making Any of These Mistakes?
Developing your business’ marketing strategy is something that consists of a lot of trial and error, as well as an ability to adapt and pivot proactively. By knowing which common mistakes to avoid, you’ll be able to create a more effective marketing plan- the first time around.
When choosing a marketing company, it’s important to work with one that stays informed about marketing strategies that are effective for today- and tomorrow. Book a call with us to see how we can help!
