5 Biggest Digital Marketing Mistakes to Avoid in 2022

The online business and the ecommerce industry is exploding. In fact, just two years ago only 13.6% of sales were made online. Fast forward to 2021 that percentage has grown to 19.5%, which is a 45.8% increase over two years.

That growth is expected to reach 21.8% by 2024, which would amount to an 8.2% increase from 2019. Online shopping behaviour is rapidly growing with no sign of slowing down. The question you should ask yourself is: “Are you ready for it?”

Digital marketing will continue to play a critical role in years to come, especially as more and more businesses will start setting up shop online. To prepare, you need to implement solid foundations so you can make the most of 2022.

To help you out, we’ve compiled a list of the top 5 digital marketing mistakes to avoid in the new year so you can maximise your digital efforts.

1. Not Clarifying Your Messaging and Your Call to Actions

Best-selling author and speaker, Simon Sinek put it best in his TED talk when said, “People don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it.”

Remember that the internet puts you up against not just local competitors, but global ones as well. And in an ever-increasing competitive online marketplace, it becomes more and more difficult to stand out.

That’s where your “Why” comes in.

Start the new year by being clear about why you’re in business and then communicate this clearly to your audience and your customers through every touchpoint.

How do you accomplish that? Simon Sinek briefly explains “How” in his talk:

“Here’s how Apple actually communicates. ‘Everything we do, we believe in challenging the status quo. We believe in thinking differently. The way we challenge the status quo is by making our products beautifully designed, simple to use and user friendly. We just happen to make great computers. Want to buy one?’”

2. Marketing to Everyone (not knowing your target audience)

The prospect of being seen and exposed to a global audience sometimes tempts us to think big. The reality is, though, that you shouldn’t try to market your business to absolutely everyone.

Several years back, Kevin Kelley wrote an article that went viral in the business world. He said that if you want to become a successful creator, craftsman, or business owner, then you don’t need millions of dollars, fans, or customers.

All you need are 1000 true fans.

“A true fan is defined as a fan that will buy anything you produce,” Kevin Kelley writes. And he could not be more right when it comes to online business.

Your digital marketing is 100x more effective when you narrow down to exactly who your customer is. The clearer you get on who it is your ideal customer is, the more likely you are to find those true fans, fans who will follow you to the ends of the earth and support you in any and every undertaking.

3. Ignoring SEO

Digital marketing is a long game. While it’s true that you can drive instant traffic to your website and social platforms through Google Ads and Facebook Ads, having an SEO strategy in place as well will build your foundations for the long term and ultimately increase the performance of your ads, your website and ultimately, your business.

Something as simple as adding keywords to your titles, meta descriptions, images, and URLs can go a long way in keeping your brand visible on search engines.

4. Not Testing and Tracking Your Returns

When you compare digital marketing to the old forms of advertising (TV & radio ads, flyers, billboards, pamphlets, etc.), the beauty of it is the fact that now you’re able to track whether or not your ads are effective and learn how to improve them for the future.

A few decades ago, you had to spend thousands of dollars to throw an ad at the wall, not knowing whether it will stick. These days you can already see if it’s working or not within a few days.

In digital marketing–and this is especially true for small businesses–it’s critical that you’re always tracking your Return on Ad Spend (ROAS). You want to make the most out of every dollar that you spend.

Being conscious of your ad spend, though, doesn’t mean that you should skimp on it.

Recognise that there will always be phases where you first have to test things out to see whether they’ll work or not. The data is there to be analysed. So use it to your advantage and take every opportunity to test what works and what doesn’t.

Then, once you’ve figured out the most optimal solution for your digital marketing campaigns, start scaling. Before you know it, you’ll have a thriving business.

5. Not Focusing on Retention

Did you know it costs you five times more to attract a new customer than it does to keep an existing one? If there’s one thing you would want to focus on for your business coming into the new year, it’s customer service.

Four out of these five tips are all about acquiring new customers. However, even if you do those four things right and only end up losing customers in the end, then you are nowhere closer to achieving your goals than you were when you started.

Going back to Kevin Kelley’s article, if you can provide the kind of customer service that turns every new customer into a loyal and dedicated true fan, then you’ll never have to worry about making ends meet for your business.

Now, a lot of these recommendations require that you know the ins and outs of digital marketing. It requires knowledge of SEO, Google Ads, Facebook Ads, and other digital marketing channels.

If you’re already feeling overwhelmed, don’t worry! That’s where digital marketing experts like us come in.

We can take care of your digital marketing needs for you and be in charge of bringing in customers and clients. That way, all you have to worry about is providing an unforgettable customer experience that transforms prospects into true fans.

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