How can a small business owner pick which digital marketing strategy to follow with such a huge variety of options, platforms, and recommendations out there? New business owners tend to feel intimidated by digital marketing, but a company does not have to waste time or money on ineffective methods. Allows us to help you narrow down all the information available and let’s keep things simple by focusing on the top 5 digital marketing mistakes to avoid.
Mistake 1: Not defining your target audience
Before thinking about how to best sell your business, focus on who you are selling it to. Instead of advertising yourself online to the entire world, hoping to receive sales and engagement in return, knowing the people who will actually be interested in what you have to offer and speaking directly to them will save you both time and money. You might already have an idea of who they are, perhaps through a mailing list or going by your current clients. But, if you’d like to have a more solid way to define your audience, the following are the questions you should be asking yourself; in their answers, you’ll find the profile of your ideal buyer or, in other words, your target audience:
What are their interests?: Try to find common interests between them and you, ones that would benefit your product or brand. If your small business is a pet store you’ll want to find people who are dog or cat owners. If you are opening a nail salon, you’ll look for people who are into self-care, nail art, etc.
What is their lifestyle?: Figure out the hypothetical lifestyle that would suit your business. If you have a camping gear business, look for people who love the outdoors, adventure, hiking, etc.
What channel of communication would suit you best?: Depending on how you plan to communicate with your audience, you might want to target people who will respond to your online presence. If you thrive on a well-written mailing list, enjoy uploading pictures with engaging captions, share catchy stories or thought-provoking posts, your ideal audience will be the one who engages with you the most through your online channels. See how people respond, what posts get you more engagement, and go with that. It will simultaneously help you understand your online brand as well as your target audience’s response.
What is their income level?: Think if your product requires a certain level of income from your audience. Is it expensive? Is it reasonably priced? Your monetary value will determine who can reach out to you, so you’ll want to speak directly to the people who can afford you. Consider your market value compared to your competitors and understand the public who is more likely to spend their money on you.
Are you more successful with one gender in particular?: Going by your sales, have you noticed if there’s any gender that has been buying more from you? Are you more popular among any specific group? If there is a difference there, try to make your online presence more appealing to them, so they’ll feel noticed and appreciated and, in turn, they’ll be more likely to buy from you.
By analyzing your profits so far and answering these questions as thoroughly as possible, you will start to see the profile of exactly who you should target when advertising your business or brand. Don’t waste your time or money trying to get the entire universe to like you, instead just speak to these people directly, like you’ve been friends this whole time, and soon you’ll see how easy it all can be.
Mistake 2: No marketing strategy
Having no marketing strategy is worse than having a faulty one. Businesses of all sizes need an effective marketing strategy to help them grow and convert leads. Without a marketing strategy, throwing money at random ideas is useless. A better start is to:
- research the target audience,
- develop a strategy that catches their interest, and
- focus on encouraging sales.
A marketing strategy should include goals for how your business can reach its target market in a step-by-step plan. A fixed plan also makes it easier to create a marketing budget to match the goals for the year.
Mistake 3: Inattentive social media presence
Not using social media is a waste of free resources and one of the biggest digital marketing mistakes to avoid for small businesses. These platforms can build a brand, connect with a target audience, and advertise or sell products, and that means building a strong social media identity that works hard for you.
It is also worth considering that different social media platforms target specific audiences. For example, TikTok attracts youthful audiences, while older social media users may prefer Facebook.
Mistake 4: Unachievable goals
Has the business struggled to achieve its marketing goals recently? Goals need to be realistic, with achievable metrics and reasonable deadlines.
Set goals such as:
- Increasing website traffic or social media followers
- Locating and analyzing new target audiences
- Implementing new ad campaigns to increase sales by a percentage
Specific timeframes will make it simpler to measure your progress, but it is important to remember that marketing results take time to gain momentum.
Mistake 5: A lack of advertising for the site
The final mistake to avoid in digital marketing is to believe that the website will promote itself. Without advertising, the site will not get traffic. Social media is popular for promotions, but Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is better; one high-quality blog post a week can intrigue a target audience and improve visibility on search results pages.
Digital marketing assistance when it counts
Creating quality content and setting achievable goals are only some of the ways to capitalize on today’s marketing opportunities. With so many digital marketing mistakes to avoid, hiring professionals like Nomadic Advertising gives small businesses access to social media marketing experts in Mississauga who can improve their online presence.
Contact Nomadic Advertising at 647-955-4692 today and tap into the perfect digital marketing campaign for your business. Let us do all the work it entails: researching, strategizing, understanding the market and where specifically your business fits in. That could all be checked off your to-do list if you simply contact us and let us take care of the rest.
