Digital Marketing Traps & Tips

Many business owners and individuals make lots of mistakes when it comes to digital marketing. The concept might seem straightforward (and 99% of the time it is), but that doesn’t mean entrepreneurs and promoters should blindly invest money without first performing a lot of research.

As with anything else in this world, education is often the key to success. With all that in mind, this article will extend on some points made in our previous post – here’s what’s going wrong with your digital marketing, and introduce additional tips on content and how it is used in marketing.

If you’re lagging a bit behind with content marketing see this blog post for a review of how it works.

Let’s start with a recap. on digital marketing errors mentioned in the earlier post:

Digital Marketing Mistakes, Traps & Tips

Caring too much about shares and likes

As mentioned previously, likes and share are an excellent sign that a post on social media is getting attention. However, evidence shows that it doesn’t always mean people have bothered to click or read the content or links posted.

Creating a website without professional help

Most consumers and business owners can spot an amateur site a mile away. Avoid accepting a site that is likely to make your company look less than professional. There are free web builders; however, even the free templates need to be customised, so use a professional website developer to make the site your own. Also, don’t forget what Google needs from your website.

Failing to check the results

Lots of people launch marketing campaigns and spend a fortune without ever assessing the results from their activities. That is not a wise move because it’s possible to waste a small fortune on promotional avenues that don’t create conversions or profit.

Only using social media to broadcast, rather than engage

Far too many social media users post information and links and then fail to engage with the audience. All marketers must get used to replying to comments and “liking” interesting or useful statements made by the public.

Content Marketing Mistakes, Traps & Tips:

Failing to research the audience

When people engage in content marketing, they have to create a dialogue that appeals to the audience of the site where it’s getting published. Just writing a random article that doesn’t appeal to any particular niche will never provide the best results. So, those who plan to launch a content marketing strategy should take time out to consider the people who will see their efforts. For example, there is little point in writing a post aimed at teenagers when most readers are going to be over the age of fifty. That makes sense, right? See this article on how to write blog content.

Being too promotional

The beauty of content marketing is that it’s possible to promote a product or service without making that item the only focus of the article. People who write the text that is too promotional will struggle to achieve the best outcomes. It’s much better to release an informative piece that gives readers something they can take away. For instance, let’s presume we’re dealing with a company that focuses on website design. Instead of publishing a post containing all the benefits of using that brand, the writers could create something a little more useful. In that instance, an article about tips and tricks for professional web design would perform much better than anything based solely on promotion. The marketer can then briefly mention the brand and provide a backlink.

Not presenting clear calls to action

A call to action in content marketing doesn’t have to be as obvious as it might in other situations. When people add calls to action on their website, they often create buttons that say things like “buy now” or something similar. In this instance, that is not the best method available. Successful content marketers just have to make sure they present the reader with the next step in the process. So, in most content-related situations, the call to action is the backlink to the client’s website promoters will place within the body of the text. Failing to provide a call to action of that nature will severely damage the results professionals achieve. Indeed, in content marketing, not placing a backlink could make the entire process pointless.

Forgetting to engage after publishing

Much like when people use social media, content marketers mustn’t forget to engage with their audience after the articles go live. There are often options to include a comments section at the bottom of posts on most blogs. Also, promoters will share their content efforts on Facebook and other popular platforms. With a bit of luck, the links will gain a lot of attention, and many people from within the target market will comment. Responding to their statements is essential for a couple of reasons. Firstly, the move ensures any links posted on social media will achieve the widest reach possible. Secondly, offering answers or engaging in a conversation will help to make the company seem like an authority in their industry.

Not creating a broad range of different content

To most people, content marketing involves placing backlinks inside relevant blog posts and getting them published on external websites. However, the concept doesn’t stop there, and promoters should consider other methods that fall under the same umbrella term. There are many different formats people can select when developing a content marketing strategy. Some of the best include:

• Creating videos
• Embedding slide presentations
• Recording podcasts

The possibilities are endless and only limited by the marketer’s knowledge and imagination. As readers should understand, sometimes it’s sensible to think outside of the box and try something original.

With a bit of luck, anyone who paid attention to that information should manage to avoid most of the common traps involved in content marketing. Still, it’s always possible to make mistakes as people navigate the process. The key to success is to identify when concepts don’t perform as expected, and then make changes. Don’t make the mistake of throwing thousands of dollars at something that isn’t helping the business to boost profits. As the old saying by Henry Ford goes, if you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always got.