Critical Errors to Avoid to Stay Ahead of the Competition
This blog post isn’t for you; it’s all about your competitor. You know who that is, that clueless guy across town or on the other side of Twitter. The CMO who thinks he knows it all while his online influence and marketing revenue dwindle.
You don’t make these mistakes. You are smart, savvy, and sophisticated. Your marketing strategy, planning, and execution are flawless, all because you don’t make these seven key mistakes.
What are those critical errors? Here’s the run-down of key online marketing mistakes you will be sure to avoid.
1. Stale website design.
The internet is ever-evolving, and users expect the very best. You keep up with the latest trends in web design and usability to keep your brand current. Your website has been redesigned or freshened up in the last 12 months with a clean look, simple navigation, and a recognizable logo. You are mobile responsive and look great on phone, tablet, and laptop. No mistake here, because your site rocks.
2. No content strategy.
Strategy is your middle name, and implementation is your game. You have done your research, and now you know what your customers want, what they need, what drives them, and what keeps them awake at night. You listed every idea, organized them into categories, and planned your final content products (blog posts and white papers) to deliver for your readers. You are working the strategy now, and already you see the benefits as your customers are increasingly sharing your posts and acting on your CTAs. You are no novice — you are the king of content strategy.
3. Ignoring email marketing.
When your competitor said, “Email is dead,” you whispered Long Live Email! and watched your list grow. You built landing pages, free offers, and reports that add value to your customers while garnering you those precious email addresses. You built those relationships strategically with your content strategy and special members-only offers. And now when you send the right email subject line with a compelling CTA, your loyal audience responds with revenue. You are the smartest email marketer on the block, and your numbers show it.
4. Optimizing for the wrong people.
Some worries may keep you up at night, but SEO isn’t one of them. You are people-first in your content, as in the rest of your business, and your growing search engine traffic and inbound links reflect that. So you don’t panic — you welcome Google updates, because you know you will benefit from the strong writing, tagging, and keyword strategy you’ve always used. Google is your friend, Yahoo loves you, and Bing brings the results, because you write and optimize for what matters – your audience.
5. Throwing money at pay-per-click advertising.
As CMO, you have a watchful eye on both sides of your online advertising strategy – the cost and the revenue. And you know that simply throwing more (or less) money isn’t going to increase profitability. You have the big-picture – what keywords work for you and how far down the sales funnel they drive your audience. You are agile, quick to tweak a campaign when necessary, yet patient to see long-term results before making judgment. You won’t waste money because you understand effective pay-per-click advertising.
6. Neglecting to build community.
Your company is social, and it shows. You don’t make the mistake of spamming your Twitter followers with ads or filling their Facebook walls with ads. Your social media community is growing into a loyal fan base thanks to the humorous, useful, and visually appealing content you provide several times a day. The majority of your social media content is light-hearted conversation around topics related to your brand, and that is why you are the first name your fans think of in your market. You didn’t miss the party, because it’s on your social media pages.
7. Stop learning.
Your competitor may be stuck in 1995, but you are running full-speed into the next big thing. You voraciously read marketing blogs every morning, listen to marketing podcasts on your way to work, and subscribe to the Wall Street Journal. You attend conferences in person and online to learn what is the latest in marketing or in your particular market itself. You connect with other CMOs and online marketing experts and value their opinion. You won’t be left in the dust, because you are the first to know.
These seven marketing mistakes make CMOs look dumb and steal valuable revenue from businesses every year. You won’t make those costly errors, because you stay up-to-date and in-the-know. You also know when to call in the experts for help. That’s why you trust Zen Media to handle your online marketing needs professionally and promptly. Contact us today to put our strength to work for you.
