As consumers continue to rely on their devices for generating opinions and purchasing decisions, digital marketing is becoming more important than ever. Two-thirds (69%) of adults shop online at least monthly, and 85% of consumers use the internet to find information about local business – according to Yelp.
This means that having a tremendous online presence is critical to maintaining a stable business and attracting a loyal audience. Digital marketers can’t afford to make too many mistakes. Try to avoid the top five common mistakes that digital marketers make:
1) Ignoring Your Online Reputation
At a time when the Internet is so easily accessible and contributes to a majority of research, online reputation is something that simply can’t be ignored. Did you know that – according to recent studies – 90% of customers say that their buying decisions are influenced by online reviews? That’s a number that businesses and marketers simply can’t ignore, yet I consistently see people approach online reviews the wrong way.
Online reviews should be viewed as part of your company’s overall reputation. It’s tough to control what customers say about you online, but there are many ways to increase your number of positive reviews while decreasing your negative reviews.
The key is to intercept customers before they write a review online, and measure the quality of their experience. If their experience was positive, then direct them to some review sites. If the experience was negative, attempt to resolve the situation. In other words, you need to be proactive – not reactive – when it comes to your online reputation. Remember: you should respond to all reviews, good or bad, so you don’t look like you are overeating to any negative reviews.
2) Forgetting About the Customer
The absolute biggest mistake that a digital marketer can make when developing a strategy is forget about the customer, yet it happens far too often. Solving your customers pain needs to be the basis behind every strategy that you implement online. You need to know who is buying your products/services and why. Your content should appeal to a specific target market of customers that would be interested in your business. Get to know your customer through listening and engaging them. Building strong relationships with customers, starts by constantly adding value to the conversation.
3) Not Implementing a Mobile Strategy
The mobile era is here, so it’s time for digital marketers to stop living in the Stone Age and build a mobile ready website. Studies have shown that around 60% of customers make purchasing decisions exclusively on mobile. This means that not implementing an effective mobile strategy eliminates a ton of potential business.
A mobile strategy starts with building responsive websites that ensure that customers can fine you on mobile devices. Make sure your website can seamlessly conform to any screen size. If you are a retailer make sure there’s a click-to-call button. Then pay attention to how mobile customers interact with your site and adjust your design and marketing messages accordingly.
4) Use Digital Marketing Tools
Stop asking yourself should I focus on content marketing, email campaigns, Pay-Per-Click (PPC) or SEO? Or should I be using Google Analytics? The answer is always YES. You need to be using as many digital marketing tools as your budget can allow or you could be missing out on plenty of potential customers.
Pay-Per-Click ads, Search Engine Optimization, email campaigns, networking with influencers, and content marketing are all part of online brand development – all of these tactics and more need to be utilized in order to develop a truly effective digital marketing strategy. Determine what works best for your business and focus on that.
Always be on the lookout for new tools that can enhance your digital marketing efforts. You’d be surprised how much a simple online tool can improve your business pipeline.
5) Focus on the Right Social Media Sites
Social networking sites should never be ignored. But realize that every social site might not be relevant to your business. The key is to play around with every network that you find where your target audience spends time online.
Google+, Reddit, Pinterest, and Snapchat are a few social networks that businesses often ignore – even though your target audience could be using it regularly.
No matter your industry, you need to ensure that your online presence is strong. Therefore, avoid these common mistakes are ones that you simply can’t make.
Ajay Prasad is a serial entrepreneur that has built his online transcription company GMR Transcription into a seven-figure business using his marketing expertise. He has worked for Fortune 10 companies in the past and continues to invest in web-based start-ups. Follow Ajay on Twitter @gmrtranscripts
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