Your business is already tuned-in to the importance of digital marketing. You are deploying content that entices customers to your website, emboldened by the knowledge that inbound strategies generate leads with 62% less cost than traditional outbound strategies. Additionally, you are working hard to gain success via search engines and social media platforms.
But something is getting in your way. Something is preventing your digital marketing from achieving optimal returns. Let's take a look at some of the most common digital marketing mistakes that brands just keep on making, as well as some strategies that can help you bypass these obstacles.
Where are you going with your digital marketing? What are you hoping to achieve? And, perhaps most importantly, how will you recognize the answer to both questions when you arrive there?
Too many businesses engage in digital marketing without a set goal. Or, they have a goal in mind but don't know how to measure their progress. If you find your own business reflected in either of these two statements, you may soon lose your way.
Firstly, set a realistic target for your digital marketing endeavors, and then attach a similarly realistic timeframe for achieving this. Break long-term goals up into bitesize short-term milestones. This will prevent your team from becoming too overwhelmed.
Secondly, decide what kind of metrics you are going to use to measure this progress. Choose metrics that align with your end goal, and then deploy digital analytics solutions to measure these metrics, whether they are raw sales, net revenue increases, or content clicks.
It may come as a surprise to some, but customers actually do not care about the products that brands provide. Instead, customers are focused on how these products will benefit them.
Of course, you're proud of your products, so it's tempting to wax lyrical on how great they are. The problem is, this risks turning your audience off.
Get to know your customers. Gather data on them and segment them into manageable groups. Now, take the time to consider their motivation. What pain points are they experiencing? What do they want -- what do they need?
You can ask your customers these questions directly, via social media or other channels. However, it's also worth bearing in mind that your customers might not know the answers themselves. If you can recognize a need before your audience does, and then target your digital marketing at fulfilling this need, you'll be streets ahead of your competitors.
You are scoring big hits with your digital marketing strategies. The social media data is in, and you are getting hundreds of impressions. Great news. You're getting clicks, too, so people are obviously interested in what you're offering.
But where are the dollars? Well, impressions do not equal revenue. And clicks may end up costing you money if they come from paid search ads. This is a classic example of counting your chickens before they have hatched.
If you are achieving impressions, and even clicks, without increasing revenue or generating leads, this may actually indicate a problem. Perhaps your website is confusing, or your content is irrelevant, and visitors are simply bouncing straight off your page. Or it could be that your social media posts lack a clear call to action.
Analyze the journey that your audience needs to take to the point of conversion. Identify any bottlenecks or obstacles that may be stopping your customers from converting. Conduct A/B testing before deploying solutions to problems, so you can identify whether or not the solution is a step in the right direction. The Chicago Tribune reported a 56% increase in push notification open rates when they put A/B testing on the case, which shows just how much difference it can make.
Big Data has been a part of the digital marketing lexicon for years now, and yet many businesses still struggle to get to grips with what it really means. Perhaps your business is gaining insight from data, gathering a growing store of customer and sales information, and deploying this information here and there. But still, you are not getting results.
If this is the case, you may inadvertently be missing the point of Big Data. Achieving success with data is not about knowing everything -- there's just too much data out there for this to be possible -- it's about knowing the right things. 99.5% of collected data never gets used, either because it is not directly applicable, or because it simply gets lost. Businesses need help to drill down to the most relevant data.
Use digital solutions to make Big Data not quite so big and not quite so unwieldy. Automation tools can help you spot relevant patterns between datasets, which help you better understand your audience and use data to the optimum advantage.
Gain focus, too. Take a look at your digital marketing operations and try to identify areas in which your understanding is lacking. Then, you can apply a qualitative approach -- what do you need to know about your audience, about your campaigns, about your past successes? Once you have decided what kind of understanding you want to acquire, your analytics platforms and digital engagement solutions can provide this for you.
Your brand is something that your customers need to be able to engage with. When they see your content, your products, or your logo on any kind of material, they need to instantly recognize who they are dealing with and what you provide.
If your branding is inconsistent -- deploying different color schemes within your content, for example, or delivering mixed messages -- your audience may become confused as to what you are all about. Similarly, if you are not posting content frequently enough, potential customers can easily forget who you are.
Develop a content schedule, preferably using a digital platform that will help you plan which content you want to deploy and when. Data suggests that it takes between 5 and 7 encounters with your logo before customers start to remember your brand, so make those crucial connections as quickly as you can.
A style guide is a good idea, too. Make sure your digital marketers, designers, and content producers are all working from the same page. Outlining in-house rules regarding content and branding will help to solidify your identity.
Here at engage™, we are committed to helping businesses get more from digital marketing. Our application helps you reach your audience in a profound and meaningful manner. Take a test drive of the engage™ app by requesting a FREE DEMO, or reach out to our team for more information.
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