It’s in a business’ nature to cut corners and try to find the cheapest alternative to ensure profits. In some cases the marketing budget is one of the cuts, resulting in more do-it-yourself projects. For those who have taken it upon themselves to do their own marketing, here are five things you’re probably doing wrong.
1. You’re not testing your email marketing.
Due to the overpopulation of email marketing platforms, business owners and users alike think email marketing is as simple as sending a design with some text. The truth is effective emails have a lot more strategy behind them. Trained email marketers have researched their target audience and create their emails specifically for who they’re trying to reach.
The data received from each campaign is analyzed for future purposes, making the process more effective as time goes on. To an email marketer, an email is more than just a message sent out, it’s a piece of data they can learn from. With A/B testing, email marketers will analyze and understand how and why certain tactics work or not, helping them perfect their craft more each time they send an email.
2. You’re not targeting your social media posts.
Social media marketing is similar to email marketing in the way that it has to be a targeted message. With the rise of social media marketing, social media has become more than a way to distribute news and information. Many businesses make the mistake of making their content too general, missing their opportunity to reach the audience that will likely respond best and be more inclined to listen. It’s very possible to reach for the stars and miss your true target.
3. You’re not thinking about SEO enough.
There is a huge misconception as to what effective search engine optimization is. Companies generally assume that the only function of search engine optimization is to get your website ranked higher on major search engines, earning the page more impressions and exposure. The other extremely important part of search engine optimization (or SEO) is conversion, because a significant reason in gaining your website’s exposure is to distribute your company’s message (buy this product, learn about this, etc.)
It’s also common for businesses to overlook SEO because it’s not what many people initially think of when marketing comes to mind. SEO might not be as conventional as other older forms of marketing, but it is vitally important because it focuses on something that everyone uses, the internet, which is relatively new when compared to some other tactics. SEO stands by the concept of always being where your customers are, which never fails to make companies money.
4. Your Conversion Optimization is being ignored.
As important as SEO is, it can only go so far without effective Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO). This is another marketing strategy often overlooked because it’s assumed that the website is the finish line. A digital marketer’s job is to make sure that there are no weak spots in a company’s digital presence. Ignoring your CRO means you’re ignoring potential exposure, sales, and revenue.
5. You’re trying to do PPC on your own.
PPC advertising is yet another tool people assume is fast and easy. The reality of the situation is that PPC is about efficiency and getting the most for every ad sent out. If someone is not trained in digital marketing they won’t be able to get much out of PPC because PPC is all about testing your results, similar to email and social media marketing.
If you’re able to distribute PPC advertisements, analyze the data, and use it to improve your results virtually every time you send advertisements out, then you’re probably not doing it wrong. The truth is this never happens unless you’re trained. The job simply will not be completed properly and the company involved will lose money.
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