The world of digital marketing is ever-changing; it’s hard to keep up, and it can be especially difficult for new businesses to navigate. Luckily you can learn from mistakes commonly made by other companies so that you can avoid making them yourself and stop wasting precious marketing dollars on campaigns that don’t give you any results.
Start improving your ROI today, here are five common digital marketing mistakes and how to avoid them.
1. Overspending on Google and Facebook ads.
Many new companies throw a bunch of money into Google or Facebook ads, hoping that it’s the magical solution to getting them thousands of new customers and skyrocketing their sales, only to get little to no results and realize they’ve wasted a ton of cash. In fact, according to the Association of National Advertisers, only 25 percent of money spent on digital ads reaches real people.
In reality, we all know that consumers hate ads. Instead of wasting money hoping that someone will see an ad for your company online and click on it, you should be spending your time and money on providing value to your audience in exchange for their attention. In a world that’s content-driven, providing content that is useful, engaging and entertaining is what you should focus on, not how many impressions you can get on a traditional ad.
2. Not using retargeting pixels.
A user who visits your website and never returns is a missed opportunity. You spend all this time driving traffic to your site but rarely do users make a purchase the first time they visit a site. In fact, the average shopper makes nine visits before deciding to buy. If you’ve ever wondered how you can get those one-time visitors to your website, to return again and again, then using retargeting pixels is a digital marketing strategy you don’t want to miss out on.
Retargeting is a pixel that you can add to your website that will lure users back to you. Once a visitor leaves your site, retargeting pixels will “follow” that person around the web and display highly-specific ads on Facebook or Google that convince them to return to you. Retargeting will not only get you more repeat visitors but will increase your conversions too.
3. Not researching keywords for your blog.
Keywords are how your business will get found on the web. There are a ton of people on the internet googling solutions to their problems that your company can solve with engaging content. But your content will never show up in their search results if you’re not using the right keywords for your blog posts.
Google is responsible for 94 percent of total organic traffic, that’s why it’s essential that you research keywords for every blog post you write. You can use a tool like UberSuggest to look for high-volume, low-competition keywords that you can rank for. Think about what your target audience would be searching for on the web and how it relates to your business. For example, if you’re a hair stylist looking to book more weddings, research keywords, and phrases related to wedding hairstyles that you can incorporate into your content to ensure you’re easily found by your ideal customers.
4. Not converting blog traffic into customers.
Blog posts are a great way to drive traffic to your site, but you don’t just want a ton of readers, you want a ton of customers. If you want to get a boost in your conversions, you need to optimize your blog posts to convert readers into customers. Your blog posts need to be useful to your readers but not focused too much on selling yourself or your product. Instead of pushing people to buy, which will rub them the wrong way, you can pull them into buying by providing them with great content that showcases your expertise.
The next step to converting your readers is to get them on your email list. You can quickly grow your email list using exit-intent popups that will grab your visitors’ attention and offer a freebie in exchange for their email address. A content upgrade like a free PDF or mini-ebook will give your readers a taste of what you can offer and will help them build a trusting relationship with your business. The users that are a part of your email list are loyal followers of your content and they’ll be easier to convert.
5. Not promoting your content.
You spend hours creating awesome content that your target audience will love, post it on your website, sit back and wait for people to show up to read it, then you wonder why your posts get only a couple likes or shares. This brings us to another common digital marketing mistake many new companies make: not promoting your content. You need to promote your content on a number of different platforms, numerous times, in order for it to be seen by all of your potential customers.
Share your content first and foremost with your biggest fans, the people on your email list. These loyal followers get excited each time you put out new content, making them the most likely to read it and share it on social media first. Next promote your content on multiple social media platforms at pique times and even visit sites like Reddit and Quora, where you can join in on conversations related to your industry and promote your helpful content that leads users back to your website.
Digital marketing doesn’t have to be scary. By making yourself aware of the most common digital marketing mistakes, you’ll avoid burning a hole in your pocket and can get back on track to attracting new customers and increasing conversions.
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by Syed Balkhi
Source: business2community.com