From the local grocery shop to conglomerates – every business needs digital marketing. And the beginning is the most difficult part.
People new to digital marketing often find themselves stunned by its size and complexity. That is why we are going to talk about the most common digital marketing mistakes beginners make.
Let’s jump right into it!
1. Not using social media
Everyone is on social media today. In the last decade, social media has become the most influential channel for digital marketing – both for new brands and for well-established ones.
So, why do beginners fail to utilize this powerful tool?
The short answer is that people new to social media don’t understand the power of following through. For example, brands new to Instagram start out great. They create a nice tone of voice, followed by pleasant aesthetics. They gain some traction, and boom – radio silence for days, even weeks, making the brand lose its chance to promote itself.
The key to preventing this from happening is planning your content upfront and posting consistently.
2. Overlooking cybersecurity
Since virtually everything online is automated, we often overlook things like cybersecurity.
Now, when it comes to digital marketing, you will probably deal with a lot of different platforms at the same time. The larger your brand is, the more work needs to be done cybersecurity-wise.
Losing access to your accounts (e.g., Instagram or WordPress) can set you back to square one.
But, it’s not all that bad. You just need to take a proactive stance toward cybersecurity. Here’s where you can start:
● Sync your accounts whenever possible.
● Use 2FA (2-factor authentication).
● Get a VPN to help you browse the web safely.
● Triple-check the links you open to avoid phishing and other scams.
● Make sure you have a clear list of people who have access to your brand’s accounts, and keep it as short as possible.
3. Trying too hard
Contrary to the not-following-through concept, we have tried-too-hard as another common mistake in digital marketing. While we can’t exactly put a definition on trying too hard, we can outline what it means in terms of digital marketing.
Brands often try to stay relevant by using memes and writing witty copy based on current events. This may sound great at first, but it leads brands (especially new ones) into risky territory. If your brand isn’t about memes and news, you should steer clear of these methods as marketing strategies.
One more trap beginners often fall into is posting about the product/service they’re offering exclusively. If your digital presence revolves entirely around your product, you won’t provide actual value for your followers. Add a human touch to your posts, share a story, a testimonial, or some kind of interactive content.
4. Failing to keep track of stats
Reaping rewards from your ad campaigns feels great. But the real power lies in documenting both failure and success.
Most digital marketing work revolves around trial and error and the concept of A/B testing. This means you should write down the results so you can repeat what works and avoid what doesn’t.
You will feel the full effect of well-done documentation a few years down the line, but it will certainly be worth it.
5. Not taking breaks
Lastly, we need to talk about the exhaustion and fatigue that digital marketers face all the time. As you probably know, digital marketers are the modern-day jack of all traders. Trends change almost daily, new platforms emerge every year, and all this can lead to burnout faster than you can say “conversion”.
The cure to digital burnout is time away from your laptop and work. Plan a time of the day when you can disconnect from the world. Meditate (you can find guided meditations on YouTube or on apps like Yours App), go for a walk, cook a three-course meal, or play with your pet.
The stress that digital marketing brings is rarely sudden. It’s rather a cumulative effect of all the small things you have to do and keep track of on a daily basis.
It’s ok to make mistakes
Every beginning is difficult, but there’s no need to be discouraged by possible bumps along the way.
It’s good to talk about the most frequent mistakes beginners keep making. The world of digital marketing looks intimidating as is, and it’s expected for newbies to make mistakes. Hopefully, this article will help you prevent some of them!
Just remember to stay safe and to take breaks. Good luck!
