EPISODE 112 OF THE MARKETING SOLUTIONS PODCAST: 3 WAYS YOU COULD BE WASTING MONEY ON DIGITAL ADVERTISING
Sonya:
A lot of business owners don’t want to invest in digital marketing unless they KNOW they can get a return on their investment.
And fair enough, too – as a business owner myself, I know it’s a serious consideration.
While there are no guarantees in digital marketing, there ARE a few things you can do to ensure you’re not wasting your money.
Let’s talk about the three most common mistakes I see people making when it comes to digital marketing, and what you can do to avoid them.
The first mistake: Not advertising on the right platform
Ask most people which digital marketing platforms they’re familiar with, and most people will say “Facebook and Instagram.”
If they’re younger, TikTok will be in there as well, and if they’re a little older or career-focussed, they’ll probably mention LinkedIn.
But what about Pinterest? YouTube? Google ads?
These are three platforms that are often overlooked, and in doing so, you may be leaving money on the table.
If one of the main ways people find you is through a Google search, and you’re not utilising Google ads? That’s something you’re going to want to fix asap.
If you’re in the business of selling products, Pinterest is a fantastic way to expand your audience – particularly if you’re trying to crack the US market.
And if you’re a coach, consultant, speaker or hosting an event? YouTube ads perform exceptionally well, particularly in regional areas.
I’ve noticed in my agency that everyone on my team has their favourite platform that they gravitate towards, which is why we have strategy templates that include ALL of the potential platforms we could use for a client. This makes sure that we’re not missing the platform that could make all the difference to our client’s bottom line.
If you’re working with an agency that doesn’t consider the entire landscape, and fobs you off when you ask about other advertising avenues, it might be time to look for one that takes a more holistic view.
Mistake #2 I see is having an unclear objective
There’s an old saying, that if you don’t know where you’re going, you’ll never get there.
If you don’t know what you want to achieve with your digital marketing activities, how will you know if they’ve been successful?
Meta (or, Facebook and Instagram) ads require that you set an objective for your ad set, and the most common mistake I see here is people choosing the brand awareness objective when what they really want is CONVERSIONS.
A conversion is when someone takes the action you want them to on your ad, whether that’s filling in a lead generation form, clicking through to your website, or purchasing a product.
Brand awareness ads definitely have their place, but only when used as a part of a broader strategy. Meta, or Facebook, has some decent training available, so instead of getting overwhelmed, why not get familiar with how things work? I promise Ads Manager is not as difficult as you think it is.
When it comes to organic content, making sure that at least 80% of your posts have some sort of call to action is a good rule to follow. Because how will your followers know what to do unless you tell them?
This is why YouTube creators tell you to “hit that subscribe” button, and why on Instagram, we direct you to “click the link in my bio”.
On Facebook and Instagram, consumer behaviour has changed so that calls to action are less effective than they once were, but they’re still valuable, particularly if you want your followers to take a particular action.
The easier you make it for people to know what the next logical step for them to take, the better.
Sending traffic to a poorly converting website
When you run ads, unless it’s a lead gen ad, you’re going to send people to a website.
It might be to your Shopify site to purchase a product, or your website to book an appointment.
If you send potential customers to a website that is slow to load or difficult to navigate, you’re likely to lose a good number of sales before they complete the desired action.
The easiest way to identify whether your site is slow or clunky is to have an objective third party go through the customer journey. Make sure it’s someone who will give you an honest opinion though!
Friends and family probably aren’t the ones to ask, because they’ll give you a lot more grace than your potential customers will. This might be one of those situations where paying a professional is worth it!
So those three mistakes again
#1 - Not advertising on the right platform
#2 – Having an unclear objective
#3 – Sending customers and clients to a poorly converting website
If you’re not sure about where to start, or if you want to invest in an audit of your customer journey, reach out. I’m happy to help. I’ll pop my contact details in the show notes.
As always, you’re invited to join in the conversation over on the Boom Your Biz Facebook page. It’s a great place to connect with other small to medium business owners. Just search “Boom Your Biz” on Facebook and request to join.