In digital marketing, there's always room for growth and improvement. Trying different strategies, you find the best for your business. Your competitors are trying to do the same. To help you, we at CIMA Digiagentuur have compiled 7 tips that they (possibly) aren't paying enough attention to.
Don’t Try Everything at Once
A common mistake among both beginners and experienced marketers is to try many tools at once, trying to hit different platforms simultaneously. It's okay to expand your arsenal, but it's better to do it gradually. There are several downsides to the "launch everything at once" approach:
Collect and Value Your Email Database
Many marketers and business owners underestimate the value of their clients' email addresses. Some think that email is losing its relevance in the age of widespread promotion through social networks—where people spend more time and can communicate instantly. Yes, the advantages of social networks as a channel for interacting with customers are undeniable. But don't write off email. Email marketing is still effective, and the addresses that people voluntarily give you have great value.
What to do: Create useful newsletters that people will want to subscribe to. Don't think their subscriptions on social networks are enough. An additional communication channel won't hurt. Well-functioning also are checklists, PDF books, guides, access to interesting video materials—all these can encourage a customer to leave their data.
Don’t Spread Yourself Too Thin Across Useless Social Networks
Yes, SMM is a must-have. No, we're not suggesting giving up on social networks. The point is that not all platforms will be useful specifically for your business, not everywhere your audience is present.
What to do: Before starting to act in any social network, study who it is popular with. Look at statistical data, estimate how likely it is that you will find your future clients on a particular platform. If the answer is positive, start probing the ground, trying different tactics. If you don't see enough response within a predetermined period, you might reduce efforts or even abandon the platform.
Carefully Check Influencers
Influence marketing is more popular than ever, and brands are eager to collaborate with influencers on Instagram and YouTube. Your competitors are likely already working with bloggers. But before following their example (and even if you've already tried influence marketing), pay attention to the not-so-obvious dangers.
What to do: Firstly, pay attention to engagement. It's suspicious if a page with a million subscribers only gets about 1000 likes per post. A good follower-to-like ratio is 10%, with values as low as 5-6% being acceptable.
Don’t Be Afraid to Change Along With Your Audience
Consistency helps in digital marketing, but don’t let it stop you. If data suggests that the market or your audience has changed, don’t be left behind, be open to corresponding changes.
What to do: If you find trends that captivate your audience, try them out. It could be anything—from a new content format to a completely different way of positioning your product. While your competitors hesitate to make changes, stepping out of your comfort zone can attract new clients and earn the respect of the regulars.
Use Clear Calls to Action
Obviously, a newsletter or landing page cannot do without a CTA button. But if you look at some of your competitors' content, you might notice that the call to action is often vague and not obvious. In an attempt to be original or in efforts not to "pressure the audience," they may forget that people need to be clearly and straightforwardly told where to go and what to do.
What to do: If you want a visitor to perform a target action—show them the way. There is no place for shyness here; a well-crafted call to action affects the conversion of your offer, the number of likes under your post, the number of subscribers to your newsletter, etc.
Let 'Let's Test It First' Be Your Favorite Phrase
No matter how much an expert convinces you of the 100% effectiveness of a new trend, method of monetization, or advertising format, you need to test everything yourself. And only after testing, you can make a final decision and implement a new tool.
What to do: Test! Let each theory and hypothesis be tested in practice, and the most effective techniques will become part of your permanent arsenal.
