5 Digital Marketing Mistakes You’re Probably Making

Small businesses are usually highly resourceful and driven, always making the most out of what they have. That means wearing many hats, including the marketing hat. A lot of small businesses rely on DIY digital marketing, driving operations in-house with whatever bandwidth is left after the rest of the work gets done. 

However, digital marketing is a balancing act of art and science, so naturally there is a lot that can go wrong with a ‘throw it together’ DIY approach. DIY can absolutely work, but it’s important to have a well-defined strategy and steer clear of these common mistakes.

1. You’re not consistent with your branding.

Marketing begins with having a clear and consistent brand. If your messaging is not conveying the same visual and verbal tone across the board, then your brand will come off as disorganized and unprofessional. Of course, that’s not the first impression you want to give. Take the time to put together a brand kit that outlines all of your design elements, taglines, brand identity, and tone of voice. Your color palette should be about four colors maximum, with one main color and one highlight. You should also have no more than three fonts, including a header, ad body, and an optional accent.

2. You haven’t clearly defined your target audience.

So many businesses that choose to do in-house marketing make this major mistake. Your ‘target audience’ may sound abstract, but your goal should be to make it concrete. Outline the exact demographics you’d like to reach, including age, gender, location, financial status, interests, and more. Most importantly, clearly define their pain-points so that you can position yourself as a problem-solver. Building a few customer persona’s is a great way to visualize the types of people you’re speaking to. You also need to understand where your target audience can be reached best — in their inbox, on a search engine, or if it’s social media, then which platform?

3. You’re not coordinating your strategy across platforms.

When it comes to digital marketing, there is no one-size-fits-all approach across platforms. In order to drive successful marketing efforts, you need to be sure that you’re following the best practices for each platform that you’re engaging on. Some platforms favor long-form content, while others prefer short and sweet. Some reward lots of hashtags, while others punish more than three. Beyond best practices, you should also keep your branding in mind and be sure to use a consistent tone of voice, graphics, and CTAs. Remember that your marketing strategy should act as a funnel that guides people down the path to a sale, and each platform should play its part in that process.

4. You’re not driving community engagement.

Building a strong community online is one of the best ways to grow your audience organically. Social media algorithms tend to favor profiles that are actively engaged with others, helping your profile get more exposure. Like relevant posts, comment in a way that provides value, and always be sure to stay on top of your DMs. Beyond social media, you can also foster community engagement with a strong email marketing strategy. Just try to be authentic and friendly, because your audience wants to know that there’s a real human behind the brand.

5. You’re not leveraging your data... or perhaps even looking at it at all.

Data is truly the key to any solid marketing strategy. Tracking your data is the only way to know what’s working, what’s not, and how things are growing over time. Otherwise, you’re flying blind. However, it’s not just as simple as tracking likes or follows. In order to make sure you’re tracking the right metrics, you first need to get super clear on your goals. You’ll also want to measure your baseline so that you have a clear point of comparison as things begin to progress.

DIY marketing mistakes can be found in the vast majority of in-house efforts (unless there is a dedicated and experienced in-house team). Understanding the common challenges and misconceptions can help in avoiding those very mistakes. If you have a strong brand, a clearly defined target audience, a well-coordinated strategy, an emphasis on community engagement, and a truly data-driven approach, then you’re off to the races.