If are looking to gain traction in your marketing strategy for 2020, be sure not to fall into the many marketing pitfalls which can waste your time and hinder your objectives.
Social Media
It’s common knowledge that Social Media can have a massive effect on brand awareness and in converting customers. As with any form of advertising there is a right way and a wrong way to do social media marketing for your brand. We’ve put together a quick list a things you should be doing, and things you shouldn’t.
Do’s
- Update your content regularly! Possibly the biggest reason some social media marketing fails is because the content posted on these channels goes out of date quickly. It doesn’t look good if your last post was years, even months, old.
- Keep it short and sweet! Don’t go overboard with your posts and include too much irrelevant information. Potential customers on these platforms do not spend much time reading what you have to say. You need to use attractive imagery and communicate your USP’s in a compelling and concise way.
- Add value to your posts! Make sure what you post is interesting, captivating and educational to your audience. Most importantly, make sure it’s relevant to your business. Often people run out of ideas to post and will start posting about sprightly squirrels which they have seen on their way to the office! Cute? Maybe. Converting new customers? Probably not.
Dont’s
- Get involved in personal opinion pieces. People don’t want to know what your political stance is or whether you did something interesting at the weekend. Keep it relevant to your business and to your customers. Don’t be pulled into controversial debates on your company’s profile as it looks unprofessional and is likely to distract from what your brand message is.
- Post ambiguous philosophical quotes/life advice. You are not Socrates. Tempting as it may be to offer people your well-earned life advice, your company’s LinkedIn account is not the best place for this.
- Fail to interact with your audience. Don’t ignore them! Failing to interact shows that you don’t care, and social media is all about community and sharing. If you want your customers to share your content, it’s important to interact with them wherever possible so they feel engaged.
Web Design
Your websites performance is crucial in today’s digital age. Afterall, 81% of customers search online before they make a purchase in a physical store. Having a well designed website which is optimised for conversions and works well on mobile devices is a must for any business.
Do’s
- Hire a professional web design company to build you a mobile responsive website. There are many free solutions on the web, but to gain traction and really make an impact, it’s essential to use a professional web designer. Colour scheme, layout and functionality are all key areas where you can stand out and enhance your brand identity.
- Use Google Analytics to track visits on your website. This enables you to see where your leads came from and identify popular content within your site. Having a good understanding of these metrics can drive your marketing strategy forward and increase your ROI.
- Optimise for Search Engines. What good is a website if nobody can find it? Making sure you are on the first page of Google is essential if you want to attract new customers. Utilise SEO best practises on your site to improve your rankings and level of enquiries.
Don’t’s
- Don’t be tempted to build your website yourself. This distracts from your main focus which is running your business! Web design and digital marketing is constantly evolving and it’s hard to keep up. Hiring a professional will deliver far better results in the long run.
- Think a facebook page constitutes as a website. It doesn’t. Having full control of your website’s layout and functionality is important and you cannot do this with facebook. Facebook certainly has its place and is good for running ads but it should not be used instead of a well designed website.
- Copy and paste. Having original and well-articulated copy is a major contributing factor to your online success. Copying content from other sources is bad practice and harms your brand. Focus on creating unique content which delivers your brand’s USP.
Content Marketing
Providing informative and educational content within your industry is a sure-fire way to create brand authority and become the ‘go to’ person for products or services within your niche.
Do’s
- Build trust. Take time in crafting truly unique content which adds value to your target audience. I today’s crowded marketplace, content marketing a subtle technique that doesn’t scream ‘buy me!’.
- Promote your handcrafted content. Creating useful guides and infographics doesn’t work unless people can find it. Share your content with relevant influencers to gain exposure and recognition.
- Make it shareable. Along with providing compelling industry insights, encourage people to share your content with giveaways and competitions. This gets your content in more places in a shorter amount of time.
Dont’s
- Have too many CTA’s. Too many options can overload and confuse customers and lead to indecision. You want your call to action to lead into a specific part of your sales funnel where conversions are optimised.
- Just focus on selling. Avoid overtly trying to sell your product of service. It’s far easier to convert customers once you have gained their trust and provided value.
- Lose focus. Content marketing is a long game so don’t expect instant results. Just remember that the content you create has lifelong value and will eventually start to pay you back.
So, if you’re looking to make your marketing strategy foolproof. Start by applying some of the techniques listed above, and be sure to avoid common pitfalls.
Photo by Campaign Creators on Unsplash
