Are you making these Five Marketing Mistakes? Here’s what your Marketer wishes you knew
No, it can’t be good, fast, AND cheap — You’ll have to pick two.
Hello, and welcome to a blog where we reveal insider information like a bartender at closing time..
As a marketer, I’ve had my fair share of clients who expect miracles overnight. While I understand the desire for immediate results, what most potential clients fail to understand is that marketing is a marathon, not a sprint. That’s why, today, we are here to debunk some common marketing myths and understand the realities of marketing before embarking on a campaign.
But first, what is Marketing?
It’s essential to begin by defining what marketing is and what it can and cannot do. It is a process of promoting a product or service to a target audience in order to increase brand awareness, generate leads, and ultimately, drive sales.
“Marketing is not a cure-all solution to business problems or a guarantee of success.”
Now, without further ado, here are five things that I wish every client knew before we got started:
Marketing is not an overnight success story, but a long-term strategy. It takes time to build brand awareness, gain traction, and generate leads. It is important to understand that marketing is not a one-time event but an ongoing process. It takes time, effort, and ongoing analysis to see results.
Don’t expect to see a significant return on investment (ROI) overnight. Be patient and focus on building a long-term, sustainable digital marketing strategy that delivers measurable results over time.
2. Define Clear Goals:
One cannot emphasise enough on the importance of setting SMART (specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound) goals that align with your business objectives.
For instance, if the goal is to increase website traffic, then the strategy will involve search engine optimization (SEO) and content marketing. If the goal is to generate leads, then the strategy will involve lead magnets and email marketing. According to HubSpot, setting specific goals is the foundation of a successful marketing strategy.
3. You Do Not Need To Be Everywhere:
With multiple advertising mediums can be tempting, truth is, brands do not need to be on all channels. A study by eMarketer found that brands that focus on a few channels instead of all channels tend to have better results, including higher engagement rates and ROI.
Brands that focused on three or fewer channels had a 65% higher engagement rate compared to those that focused on four or more channels.
4. Data Is The New Oil:
Marketers know that data is king and data-driven decision-making is a must. It involves collecting and analyzing customer data, such as demographics, behavior, and preferences, to gain insights into their needs and wants. By leveraging this data, marketers can create more targeted and personalized campaigns, resulting in more effective and efficient marketing efforts.
Relying on gut instincts or assumptions can lead to wasted resources and ineffective marketing efforts. The more data we have, the better decisions we can make.
5. Marketing Is An Investment:
Lastly, please view marketing as an investment in your business’s future, rather than an expense. Clients are often hesitant to spend money on paid marketing because they don’t see the immediate ROI.
According to Wordstream, businesses make an average of $2 in revenue for every $1 they spend on Google Ads.
Final thoughts:
I saved the best for the last: communicate and collaborate. Effective communication and collaboration are critical to the success of any marketing campaign. Always provide feedback to your marketer and ensure that their work aligns with your business's goals and values.
I hope these key principles help clients have a more realistic view of what to expect from their marketing campaigns and work more effectively with their marketers to achieve their goals.
So, before you jump into a marketing campaign, take a step back, and think about these five things. Your marketer will thank you, and so will your business!
