Digital marketing is a fundamental part of any successful business. When done effectively it can make a big difference between you and your competitors. However, it is tricky business and requires strategy to get it right. There are a variety of elements that must be used in combination in order to produce the best results. These elements are: Search engine optimisation (SEO), Content marketing and Paid advertising. The problem is it’s easy to make mistakes, and what’s worse is many digital agencies ignore some of the most crucial elements of digital marketing.

This article will be looking at some of the most common digital marketing mistakes to avoid.

1. No use of Search Engine Optimisation

Our first digital marketing mistake to avoid is not using search engine optimisation. This is the first on the list because it is the lifeblood of any effective marketing campaign. Successful SEO works by building the authority of your website creating links through quality content and targeting key terms with high search volumes. The purpose of this activity is to make search engines like google notice your site. By making your site stand out to search engines due to consistent, relevant content, SEO can push your website up to the top of search engine results pages (SERPS). This is extremely beneficial for any business as it means more site visitors which in turn should lead to more conversions, and in particular sales.

An example of the effectiveness of SEO is an expert digital marketing agency Our Digital Team. They used SEO successfully which put one of their clients on the first page of search engine results for 10 different key terms.

The problem with search engine optimisation is that it is a long term process that does not provide instantaneous results. It can take weeks if not months to establish a good level of authority and start ranking highly. This leads to many people not bothering to invest in this digital marketing process.

2. Too much focus on social media

Another digital marketing mistake to avoid is focusing all of your efforts on social media. Although many of us spend a lot of our time on social media, it is important to consider where you go when you’re in need of something. Whether it’s a product, service or question the likelihood is you will ask google, not instagram or Twitter. Therefore it is important to strategise how you use social media as a marketing tool. We recommend focusing your efforts on other forms of marketing first such as SEO and paid search primarily. Then use social media as a method of amplifying your content but also as a way to create a two way conversation with your potential customers.

Another effective way to use social media is as a remarketing tool. This involves tracking your site visitors at each stage of their journey on your site. From here you can then send reminder retargeting advertisements on instagram and facebook that say things like ‘forgetting something’ or ‘we saw you were looking at this item, get it before it’s gone’. This strategy is a great method to drive already interested traffic back to your site. It has proven a successful way of increasing sales on many conversion journeys.

3. Spammy email marketing

Another suggestion we have of digital marketing mistakes to avoid is spammy email marketing. Many of us are all too familiar with repetitive emails from brands we’ve bought from or subscribed to the newsletters of. Here are some examples of spammy emails:

• Not relevant to the recipient
• Overly promotional content
• Mailing too frequently

Email marketing can be an excellent way to drive qualified traffic to your site. That is why it is so crucial to get it right. There are plenty of email marketing tools available, a great one for digital marketers to use is Hubspot. Here you can manage your email marketing campaigns, analyse recipient behaviour, generate sales and implement successful loyalty campaigns.

4. Lacking goals

Setting goals is absolutely crucial in effective marketing. Mistakes to avoid when setting digital goals are aiming for things that are unrealistic. If you don’t set realistic goals you are practically setting your business up for failure. Don’t worry we have provided a useful framework to avoid the mistake of setting unrealistic goals. Set SMART goals which are:

• Specific
• Measurable
• Attainable
• Realistic
• Time-bound

A good rule of thumb is to take some time to determine your key performance indicators that best match your goal. You can keep track of your key performance indicators using tools like google analytics.

Summary:

So, there you have it! Our suggestions on what digital marketing mistakes to avoid and how to avoid them. Remember, use Search engine optimisation, social media and paid ads as well as email marketing to retarget your audience effectively. Using all strategies in tandem is the best way to maximize your results and your return on investment. We hope this article has helped. Thanks for reading.