5 Marketing Mistakes You Should NOT Be Making
Marketing is the cornerstone of a successful business in the modern world. And even though marketing is everywhere, there are still a few major marketing mistakes that people still make. The marketing industry is filled with so many different strategies and tactics that it can be hard to keep up. You may have already adopted a lot of good practices along the way. However, there are also plenty of common small business marketing mistakes you should avoid if you want to stay ahead of the game.
Not having a vision
“We have a vision,” you might be thinking. “It’s to become the biggest and best company in our industry!”
But that’s not what we mean. Your vision for your company is about who you want to be, not what you want to accomplish. Ask yourself these questions: What are you trying to build? What do you value? What are your standards? How will you treat your customers and employees? What makes your brand unique?
This is your vision — who you are, what you stand for, and how you want to make people feel when they interact with your brand. It should guide every decision, big or small. And it should be communicated up and down the corporate ladder so everyone knows what they’re working toward.
If you don’t already have a clear vision for your business and your marketing strategy, finding the right direction for your marketing might be a challenge. The good news is that figuring out your vision won’t be as hard as it seems. Think about what you want your company to look like five years from now, then create small goals that will help you reach those big dreams.
For example, if your goal is to become a nationally known brand in five years, work backwards from there: How many new clients do we need to sign each month? What kind of marketing budget will we need? Do we want to focus on inbound or outbound marketing? Take the time now and lay out what your company needs in order to achieve its goals and then make sure everyone is on board.
Not identifying your target audience
It’s important to remember that your target audience isn’t just a bunch of faceless people you’re trying to “capture.” They’re actual human beings with real needs, desires, and personalities. If you don’t know your audience in that way, you won’t be able to provide them with a product or service they value, so don’t make this marketing mistake.
One of the first steps to take when setting up your business and creating your marketing plan is to identify who your target market is going to be. If you don’t know who you are selling to, how will you know where to put your efforts? How will you know what they want?
Different people want different things. You could be making products or services that nobody wants, or maybe you need to tweak what you have to offer so it appeals more to your target market. Not knowing who your target audience leaves you spinning in circles, wasting precious time and money on ineffective marketing campaigns.
Market research can help you learn more about your audience, their needs, and what they’re looking for. Here are three types of market research you can focus on:
- Customer feedback – interview current and past customers with open-ended questions about their experiences
- Market intelligence – learn about trends and demographics in your target market
- Competitive analysis – compare your product or service to the competition, both directly and in adjacent markets
From there, you can create your audience personas — detailed descriptions of the people who form your target market. Within your audience personas, aim to represent the majority of one segment of your customer base. If you happen to have multiple key segments, then you can focus on creating at least one persona per segment. Since you are using real people from your actual audience, you can get a comprehensive view of your target audience—the good, the bad and the ugly.
Market research helps you define your target customer and understand how they tick. Audience personas help you humanize the data and apply it to the real world. Combining these two approaches will make your marketing decisions more grounded in reality and will help you avoid missteps along the way.
Not tracking your leads
Not tracking your leads is one of the most common (and costly) marketing mistakes you can make. You should always know where your leads are coming from so that you can focus your efforts on what works. Learning how to track your leads will not only help you become more successful at marketing, but it will also help you save money by eliminating the use of ineffective methods of generating leads.
A simple way to start tracking leads is by using a vanity URL. You’ve probably seen a vanity URL on a social media post, website, or email. They are short and easy to remember. But they are more than just an easy way to type a web address into your browser. A vanity URL is a web address that is customized for marketing purposes.
What exactly does this mean? Using a vanity URL allows you to easily remember the web address and see what it’s about without having to visit the page first. It’s often used as a redirect so that when you click on it, it takes you to the desired website. It can also make it. This results in heightened brand awareness amongst your existing and potential audiences. easier for people to find your content online.
Finally, vanity URLs give you insight into where your traffic is coming from and if your marketing efforts are working or not. If you’re running a Facebook ad campaign to promote a piece of content, you can create a unique URL for each ad set so you know exactly how much traffic each ad is driving to your site. Custom URLs help you grow your brand, promote your business and increase your conversion rate.
Having ineffective web design
Your website is more than just a pretty face. It is the digital reflection of your brand. For businesses reliant on online sales and customers, it’s a vital tool to attract and retain business. If you’re falling short in any of these areas, you could be making one of these mistakes:
- Not having a mobile-responsive site
- Having a site that isn’t user friendly
- Not including the right CTAs (calls to action)
- Having too many pop-ups
- Having confusing menus or navigation options
The mistakes above are easy to fix, don’t worry! First things first – having a mobile responsive site. Like it or not, mobile is a key consideration when building a website, so think about how you’d like customers to experience your site on their phones. A mobile-responsive site provides the same kind of browsing experience without any tricky navigation or clunky buttons.
Finally, incorporating a few key elements can help you make your website more effective. First, include an effective headline. Most users will scan the headlines and make their decision to stay or leave based on your headline. Make it strong, clear, and catchy.
Other best practices for an effective website include making navigation easy and consistent, including a call to action that encourages visitors to take the next step, and keeping the design simple.
Not promoting your services
Don’t want to be pushy about promoting your services? That’s understandable, but it won’t help your business. The good news is that you can promote your services and/or products without constantly ‘selling’ to your audiences.
So how do you promote your new consulting business without annoying your friends and family? Here are a few things to keep in mind:
- Pick the right channels. What works for one business may not work for another. To figure out what promotions work for you, try posting messages on different platforms and see which ones get the most engagement from potential clients.
- Be consistent with your messages. Once you’ve found a social media channel that works, don’t change your message too often. Instead of sharing completely different messages on each channel every day, try developing a weekly theme or topic — and stick with it. And good messaging doesn’t have to stop with social media. Make sure that your messages are cohesive between your social media presence, website copy, and any other places you put your marketing campaigns.
Marketing mistakes can and will happen to us all. We’ve all made one or two, and we are sure that you have too. If you fall into the trap of thinking that you know everything about marketing, then you are doing yourself a disservice. Continue to gain experience in your field, learn from the mistakes you make and the mistakes of others, and apply what you learn to the benefit of your business.
It is true that marketing is an ever-changing and challenging field. There is a lot to remember. It can be overwhelming and even frustrating at times. However, it is important to know that you don’t have to go at it alone. If you need help or advice, we are here for you. You can contact us if you want some support. You don’t have to be a marketing guru or trained expert in order to succeed. If you have a passion for your business, and you want to share your ideas with the rest of the world, then marketing can help your dream come true.🍑