Digital marketing today is not simple.  If you haven’t made errors, you haven’t been trying.  But remember this famous quote (once used by JFK):

“An error doesn’t become a mistake until you refuse to correct it.”

We get many new marketing clients at Marketing 360® looking to understand their errors and fix their mistakes. Many dabbled in online marketing just enough to get confused. Others worked with agencies where they couldn’t figure out what they were getting for their money.

Below are 6 of the most common mistakes businesses make with digital marketing. Recognize these in your own efforts, and find ways to correct them. Because marketing mistakes are costly – and even fatal – in today’s complex, competitive environment.

 

#1.  Viewing Marketing as an Expense Instead of as an Investment

Equipment is an expense. Rent is an expense. Getting the carpet cleaned is an expense.

It’s a mistake to think of marketing as an expense. This question is the wrong question to ask:

How much does marketing cost?

Marketing has everything to do with return on investment (ROI). Your marketing plan has the implicit intent of getting as much return as possible.

In the context of your competition, business type, and market space, your budget is what it is. You have to invest enough to meet your marketing objectives. Either you get ROI from your dime or you don’t.

If you look at your marketing budget as a cost, you’ll make the mistake of always going for the cheapest option instead of investing what’s necessary to get as much return as possible.

Set attainable goals then invest what you need to meet them. It’s the only way make positive gains from your marketing.

 

#2.  Inability to Track and Interpret Marketing Data

Data is a juggernaut in digital marketing, but the complexity of tracking and interpretation cause a host of errors for the typical business.

To start, there are the technical issues such as placing tracking codes and pixels within the content itself.  Errors here mean the data you get is incorrect, which leads to false assumptions about campaigns overall.

Harder to fix is novice level interpretation of data with no established key performance indicators (KPIs).  Even for small businesses in local markets, analyzing and acting on data is a challenge.  It takes training and experience to know what you’re looking at, and true expertise to take positive action.

You can make remarkable strides when you gather accurate data that lets you understand how your audience responds to your marketing.  And you can make catastrophic mistakes when you get it wrong.

This is one area where working with an experienced agency can be indispensable.  If you’re confused by your marketing data, seek some help.

#3.  Sticking Your Toe in the Water

It’s okay to be careful as you start a new venture like online marketing, but you can be too careful.

A common mistake business owners make is thinking they can do a “little test” of a marketing channel, then when they get evidence it will work, they’ll invest more.

From an execution standpoint, this simply does not work.  For example, you can’t run a pay-per-click advertising campaign for a fraction of the budget needed to compete.  Your “test” won’t reflect what you actually need to do to be successful.

When you decide on a tactic you think will work, jump in with both feet.  Half measures are the biggest waste of time and money.

 

#4.  No Clear UVP

A quick look at a business website tells one thing immediately.  Either they have a unique value proposition (UVP) that’s clearly communicated or they don’t.

Not having a UVP results in major mistakes.  The website visitor does not:

1. Understand the specific value you offer.
2. Get how you can solve their problem.
3. Know why they should choose you instead of your competition.

It’s up to you to convey those ideas in a clear, concise way.  Never assume that a site visitor will know why they should act.  Give them a compelling reason to do so.

The best UVPs are refined and tested.  This is the core of your message which guides both your main advertising and content marketing used to reach a wider audience.

 

#5.  A Cluttered, Confusing Approach

Many businesses never have a chance with online marketing because of their disjointed, confused approach.

For example, it’s common for SMBs to use multiple vendors, one for each marketing tactic.  So they have one for SEO, another for PPC, another for social media, one more for design…

This approach is unworkable for any marketing strategy.  Today, the tactics of digital marketing overlap and – better yet – complement each other.  To target Google search, you use both SEO and PPC ads.  When you find keywords that work well on paid search, you apply that to your organic efforts.

The best digital marketing campaigns use multiple tactics unified under a clear strategy.  Everyone working on your marketing needs to be on the same page or your strategy will fall apart.

Look for marketing companies that have comprehensive solutions and talented teams that work together.  A marketing plan divided against itself cannot stand.

 

#6.  Panic in the Boardroom

When a business doesn’t understand how to track KPIs, has no clear message, is disorganized in its approach, and views marketing as an expense, they make (another) perfectly natural mistake.

They panic.  A campaign gets started, and they don’t really know what’s happening.  The data is confusing.  The tactics are haphazard.  They don’t know who they’re trying to reach or what they’re trying to say.  Then they get billed by their marketing agency.

They can practically feel the hole burning in their wallet.

What’s the natural reaction?  To freak-out and pull-out.  Eat the sunk cost and quit before the damage is irreparable.

The real mistake here is not realizing most digital marketing strategies take time to develop.  SEO takes months – even years.  You can’t expect to build a large social media following overnight.  Conversion rate optimization is a process that requires trial and error.  You have to take the time to gather data so you know what works – as well as what doesn’t.

Your marketing investment is not just budget.  It’s also the time needed to build towards success.  Your initial planning must include realistic time frames to reach benchmarks and establish a foundation for success.

There is no greater mistake than starting a marketing campaign then abandoning ship just before it turns the corner and starts to show results.

Hopefully, in your case, none of these 6 issues are mistakes.  They are errors you still have time to correct.

If you need help, contact us today.  Don’t let your final mistake be an unwillingness to get help from experienced marketing professionals.