Are You Making These 10 Digital Marketing Mistakes?

1. Not Reaching the Right Target Audience

You could craft the best digital marketing campaign possible, but if it isn’t delivered to the right audience, it could be a huge wasted opportunity. Plus, if you’re not targeting specific audiences who fit specific products or services that you offer, you could also be wasting your ad dollars by minimizing your possible return on investment. 

By getting specific and honing in on potential customers who are more likely to to buy your products or services, you can ensure that you stand a better chance at not only converting consumers, but also maximizing your advertising investment by making sure that every dollar is going toward consumers who are likely to be interested in what your business has to offer.

Data plays a big role in being able to target the right consumers, to learn more about how we do it, check out our data model here!





2. Not Connecting With Consumers on the Right Digital Marketing Platforms

Reaching consumers on the right digital marketing platforms goes hand in hand with reaching your target audience. Once you know who your target audience is, you can better understand which digital platforms they frequent in order to catch their attention at the right time and place. 

Factors such as age, income, interests, etc. can all play a role in determining which platforms your target audience is most likely to use and enjoy. This is especially important when it comes to generational differences in how and where members of various age groups prefer to be reached via digital advertising.

For example, while there is no one size fits all answer, generally, younger generations may prefer social media advertising on their cellphones, and older generations may prefer to be reached across their favorite news sites. The better you know your target audience, the easier it will be to determine where you should be focused on reaching them! 

3. Not Retargeting Your Target Audience

Targeting the right audience across the platforms that make the most sense for them and their online habits are essential components of successful digital marketing campaigns. Did you know that you could still be missing out on converting potential customers if you aren’t taking the extra step to retarget them? 

Recent findings have shown that ads are 3X more likely to be clicked by retargeted customers than new ones, and using retargeting in addition to other types of advertising tools increases chances for sales by 50%.

It can take seeing an ad several times for users to be more inclined to take action. By retargeting interested users, your business can leave a lasting impression and increase its chances of gaining new customers -- and retaining current ones. 

4. Not Continuously Optimizing Your Digital Marketing Campaigns 

If you’re using a “set it and forget it” approach when it comes to your digital marketing campaign, you’re doing your business and overall digital marketing strategy a major disservice. By optimizing your campaign according to what’s working and what isn’t working, you can cut down your costs on digital platforms that haven’t proven to be as effective and/or allocate that money to the platforms that have given you the best results.

By monitoring your marketing campaign’s performance each month and adjusting accordingly, your business can sharpen its digital marketing strategy in addition to saving money in the process -- it’s a win-win. 

Want to see some concrete examples of successful digital marketing campaigns? Check out our success stories to see how we’ve helped clients grow their businesses thanks to the power of optimization!



5. Not Having a Multicultural Marketing Plan in Place

Reaching multicultural audiences with the same messaging and general market strategy as your other marketing campaigns is a missed opportunity. Taking the time to make consumers of all backgrounds feel included and reflected in online advertising pays off --  take a look at the results from a recent survey conducted by Facebook: 

• 54% of those surveyed said they do not feel fully culturally represented in online advertising.
• When brands do address representation, it can help drive purchases and loyalty -- some 59% of consumers polled said they are more loyal to brands that stand for diversity and inclusion in online advertising, and 59% also said they prefer to buy from brands that stand for diversity and inclusion in online advertising.
• 71% expect brands to promote diversity and inclusion in their online advertising.
• Online campaigns with more diverse representation tend to have higher ad recall compared with campaigns featuring a single traditional representation. In more than 90% of simulations, diverse representation was the winning strategy for ad recall lift.

Learn more about how to create diverse and inclusive marketing campaigns here, and consider hiring a multicultural marketing agency to get started. Be sure to check out our post about how to choose the best Hispanic marketing agency for your business for more information!

Want to grow your Hispanic marketing knowledge and grow your business? For a free Intro to Hispanic Digital Marketing eBook, click here!



6. Not Developing Compelling Creative Messaging in Your Digital Marketing Campaigns 

Boring marketing campaigns don’t get results -- with so many brands and businesses to choose from, not developing effective creative business messaging for your digital marketing campaigns can be a deciding factor in whether or not a consumer chooses you over the competition. 

What sets your business apart from others in your area? Taking the time to understand your unique value proposition can differentiate your business from the rest to amplify your message. Check out more small business tips here, and be sure to see examples of creative messaging done right for some added inspiration.

7. Not Keeping an Eye Out on Your Competitors

Speaking of standing out, are you also keeping an eye out on what your competitors are doing? This can be a great (and free) way to gauge the gaps in your current digital marketing strategy and overall digital presence. It can also provide insights into what isn’t currently being done by your competitors -- so you can be the business that goes the extra mile to provide consumers with more value. 

By simply researching competitors in your area and what their customers are saying via online reviews, you can start to see a clearer picture of what consumers are looking for, as well as areas your business is both excelling at and where you could use room for improvement.

8. Not Being Active on Social Media 

It goes without saying that social media is here to stay. If your business isn’t on social media, you’re missing out on the action. While some brands and businesses may better lend themselves to an extensive social media presence, all businesses can benefit from the basics of social media. 

For example, when creating social media pages, whether it’s on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn, etc., make sure to include the following to keep consumers in the loop: 



• Business Contact Information: Phone Number and Email 
• Updated Business Hours 
• Store Updates 
• Current Sales/Promotions
• Employee Spotlights 

Keeping your contact information, business hours, and store updates up to date gives consumers the resources to readily contact your business for more information. Plus, current sales and promotions can entice potential customers, and employee spotlights can help put faces to the name of your business to show the human side of your business. 

9. Not Crafting a Cohesive Online Presence and Brand

Along with being active on social media, keeping your business’ website up to date is vital when it comes to first impressions of your business. Plus, given the boom in online shopping and ecommerce since the start of the pandemic, your business’ online presence is truly make or break. 

A recent survey showed that deal breakers include a website or app that looks sketchy or unsafe, slow page load speeds, low quality images, lack of reviews, etc. On that note, making sure to keep your web design clean and easy to navigate is essential, and including and/or responding to reviews online can also help build brand awareness and credibility.

Not sure how to develop or refine your current online presence and branding? That brings us to our next point...

10. Not Hiring a Digital Marketing Agency to Help you Get Started 

Running a business of your own takes a lot of time and hard work. Why make it harder on yourself by trying to tackle your entire digital marketing strategy and campaigns on your own too? 

Unfortunately, many businesses run into issues or costly mistakes by going it alone. By hiring experts who can help you each step of the way, no matter where you’re currently at in your digital marketing journey, you can rest assured that your digital marketing campaigns are in good hands. 

Digital marketing experts can help you with a wide range of marketing objectives, whether it’s building your online presence, increasing engagement for your brand, or converting potential customers. To learn more about us and the services we offer, head over to our services page for more information.



How to Get Started with Digital Marketing 

Ready to get started or improve upon your current digital marketing strategy? Feel free to contact one of our expert digital marketing consultants for more information, or find a location near you to get started.

Other questions or comments? No question is too big or small -- we look forward to hearing from you!