Without a shadow of doubt, the route to good and successful marketing is a thorny and winding path. Like many other crafts, it requires time and effort to mould, improve, and to perfect it.
Typically, one of the best ways to improve marketing skills would be to keep practising. However, it may be difficult for some people, as they often pay insufficient attention to the mistakes they commit.
In this day and age of the Internet, your marketing efforts and business will need to cater to the digital audience. Promoting your business, your brand, and your product or service can all benefit from good digital marketing.
With a sizeable and diverse audience to be reached online, and a reputation to build from your presence, it is ever more important to get your digital marketing done right. Avoid the mistakes (the wrong ways of doing things, and the nitty-gritty details), learn from the possibilities, and make sure you find and train your organisation towards the right path.
Let I Concept Singapore, the preferred digital agency, show you the way.
The digital marketing mistakes you should avoid
- Not having a blog
Remember that you are not only trying to market your site as a business, you are also trying to market yourself as a trusted industry leader. A blog allows you to craft and showcase your brand identity, and acts as an avenue to connect with a wide audience of curious readers.
Content marketing, through publishing blog content that is valuable, informed and accessible, will establish you (and your organisation) as a voice that is to be trusted and reckoned with.
Additionally, each blog post is another indexed page for your website, and the more indexed pages there are, the more chances there will be for your site to show up on search engine results page (SERPs), like that of Google.
But don’t just create a blog blog, it’s also important to be relevant and for it to be interactive. Ask questions in the comment section to get responses. You can also add guest posts, or interviews with researchers or successful professionals in your field. Engage in proper digital copywriting, to create texts that work in the digital arena. Make your blog posts the go-to for information and knowledge about your industry and services or products.
- Avoiding social media
You might think you can get away with not using social media. But unfortunately, that’s a no-no. Being on Facebook, Instagram, or whatever social media platform that’s relevant in your territory now, is still the essential way to turn potential leads into sure customers. Spreading your content, reaching your audience, and engaging with users will help you promote your business online. Make use of the tools available on social media platforms, such as hashtags, to help your brand be seen and noticed.
Not too social media savvy? Get help from a digital agency for your social media management!
- Forgetting about mobile users
Mobile browsing accounts for about half of the web-traffic worldwide. So, as you are optimising your site, don’t forget to also optimise it for mobile users so that the load time is equally as fast as on desktop. Ensure that the design of your site is also adjustable and adaptable to be viewed optimally on mobile.
- Not offering discounts and promotions
A survey has revealed that two-thirds of eCommerce customers made unplanned purchases solely because there was a discount available. Online coupon codes or limited time offers are great pop-ups for your site, especially on the landing page or when they may abandon their cart. Your site should also have good call-to-actions that can be incentivised with a promotion.
- Underutilising keyword research
Potential customers need to be able to find you online, so it’s essential to focus on Search Engine Optimisation (SEO). Identify what keywords are the most relevant, have high search volume, and are relatively easy to rank for. Then, monitor where you rank for each keyword, how much traffic you are getting from each keyword, and whether the visitors coming from that keyword are turning into leads. Using the keyword research information, optimise your website. Good digital copywriting and planning plays an important role here as well.
- Targeting a broad audience
Spending your marketing budget to reach as many people as possible isn’t an efficient use of your money. Pinpoint a clearly defined target market that will yield more relevant leads. It’s all part and parcel of good social media management.
Don’t make assumptions or rely on guesses for information about any audiences. Do your research to determine your target audience and the best way to reach them.
- Having subpar customer service
A visitor who hasn’t done business with you before is taking a risk if they choose to become a customer. Having good customer service is important to lower that risk, because some 70% of customers will continue business with you if their complaints were resolved adequately.
Offer help in a clear place on your site, so that visitors know they have easy access to it. This may be through a Contact Us page, a 24/7 virtual chat box (or chatbot), a dedicated helpline, or any other relevant methods. Just be sure that if someone goes to your site, they clearly see they will have help if and when they need it.
If your brand is on socials, good social media management and communication with the audience is also important. Know how to communicate right with your followers and fans, and reply to messages and comments appropriately and in a timely manner, to present good customer service to your potential customers.
- Not using social proof
Reviews. Reviews. Reviews. In the age of sound social media management, the audience’s say is always key.
In eCommerce, the reviews and comments all play an important role. Seeing examples of happy, satisfied customers encourages more conversations. Testimonials, case studies and success stories contribute to ensuring your web visitors that there are other people out there who have connected with your brand, products or services, and that they are happy with your business. This can help them feel reassured that they will be too.
- Lacking a clear strategy
Without a plan and a vision, there are no goals to track or researched-backed methods. This can often be a waste of time, money and resources. Start building your marketing strategy by defining your target audience, setting reasonable goals, understanding what you need to achieve them, and keeping track of your progress from time to time.
Along with having a good strategy as a base, it is also important to track online leads that come from various traffic sources, such as keywords, electronic direct mailers (EDMs), referral links, social media channels, etc.
One of these sources might be pulling in leads that rarely turn into customers, while another might be consistently garnering them. Knowing this information helps you to adjust your strategy and planning accordingly.
- Having poor website design
A website that is constructed with digital marketing and eCommerce in mind should have good call-to-actions planted at the right places, and a well-optimised landing page. Any promotions or discounts should be displayed front and centre. All these user experience and user interface designs are key to getting the right visitors to stay, turning them into fruitful leads and potential customers.
Harness the power of digital marketing
Your business needs the proper marketing tools and strategies to thrive. Digital marketing opens your business up to endless opportunities for learning and growth. Boost your business to its highest potential by fixing your digital marketing strategy, targeting the right leads, and creating a well-optimised website.
Not too sure which digital marketing strategy fits your business better? It is perhaps wise to consult with your choice creative digital agency, I Concept Singapore.
Our team of brand guardians and digital marketing consultants can walk you through the different approaches and build a strategy that best fits your current business model. From developing (and renewing) brand identity, through to proposing, implementing and sustaining an integrated marketing strategy for you, our team of designers, creative strategists and programmers can offer you the right advice.
Looking for eCommerce development options? Our dedicated team of designers and developers can also help you design and set up an eCommerce store online, catering to your specific needs. You can even tap on up to 80% grant funding for the project.
Feel free to ask us anything and everything about digital marketing.
