Albert Einstein once said, “We cannot solve our problems with the same level of thinking that created them.” Indeed—being strategic in solving workplace problems is a must in order to achieve maximum efficiency for the business.
Every business faces various challenges in their operations. Amid all the various challenges that each business faces individually, stands a universal truth that all businesses aim to be successful. There are unavoidable setbacks when running a business. Some of these setbacks appear to be like a dead end at first, but the truth is most problems faced by businesses have viable solutions for it. In fact, these problems are usually rooted in mistakes and poor practices that businesses need to get rid of, asap!
Listed below are the 5 most critical mistakes that most digital marketers are practicing today, along with the corresponding solutions for each:
1. INEFFECTIVE & SCARCE COMMUNICATION CHANNELS
One of the assets of a digital marketing agency is efficient communication. A well-established communication network allows the agency to interact clearly with customers. Communication serves as the bridge that connects digital marketing agencies to their respective customers. Reinforcing a business’s connection with its customers can help gain the loyalty and trust of the latter.
However, there are some agencies that are lacking in this particular aspect. Always keep in mind that communication is a two-way street. Businesses or agencies need to communicate with their customers and they must also keep their doors open to allow customers to reach out to them in return. Otherwise, the lack of direct communication usually results in a scarcity of interest from the customers.
How can this be solved?
Building a strong connection with clients through digital marketing can be challenging. The good news is digital marketing makes it easier for agencies to acquire what the business needs at their disposal. Agencies can use the power of social media to stay in sync with their clients, and take its fast connectivity as an advantage to convince them to follow or subscribe to the business’ social media pages. With this, agencies can consider encouraging clients to write their feedback and post reviews about the services offered by the agency. Even better, customers can be enticed to mention or tag the business in their social media posts. Remember: It is better for the agency to make the first move and reach out to customers, and not the other way around.
2. POOR TIME MANAGEMENT
Several marketers find it difficult to meet customer demands due to lack of time and/or resources. Looking more closely at the root cause of this problem, the lack of time and resources is not because time itself is scarce, but rather, there is poor and ineffective management of time among the staff and supervisors.
How can this be solved?
Consider planning works and activities in advance to spare more time in focusing on other equally important aspects of running and maintaining the digital marketing agency. Creating a schedule that fits the roles and duties of each staff, as well as the goals for each marketing strategy helps keep things aligned and easier to manage. Mapping out priority tasks and segregating it from low priority tasks promotes better focus equally on the different aspects of the business.
Once proper time management is achieved, business owners will realize just how many hours in a day can be maximized in working towards accomplishing their goals.
3. CHOOSING THE WRONG SOFTWARE OR PLATFORM
There are instances where businesses or agencies fail to conduct sufficient background checks on the software or platforms that they opt to use for their business. It is crucial to determine whether the software is suitable for the business’ structure and demands or not. Employing the assistance of a particular platform or software is also an investment. Therefore, every penny spent on these platforms should count. A very good example of a poorly chosen partner software or platform is the slow loading of content on a website or page. Websites and social media pages that take too long to load drive away potential leads and diminish customer engagement.
Another important thing to remember is switching to another platform costs just as much money. It can also be a painstaking process; requiring the agency to reinstall all plugins and update the company’s overall system for the new software to work.
How can this be solved?
Execute deep research on all the possible options and functionalities. Be meticulous in picking one for it might cost tons of money. Expensive rates do not always mean it has the capability to meet the business’ requirements with much efficiency. WordPress is a highly suggested platform for digital marketing agencies. It can cater to a wide variety of client demands. It offers variability in creating different kinds of websites.
4. NEGLECTED SEO CAMPAIGNS AND PRACTICES
Statistically speaking, there are around 4 billion searches conducted on Google every day. Clearly, the sheer volume of these numbers shows a potential advantage that businesses can use to boost its visibility and relevance. Nonetheless, internet users tend not to look past the second page when they search for something on Google. This is where Search Engine Optimization (SEO) enters the picture.
Unfortunately, though there are marketers who have knowledge about SEO, they fail to maximize its full advantage and use. The lack of attention and commitment to SEO eventually results in low traffic.
How can this be solved?
Google is evolving constantly. This means that keywords must be adapted according to how customers phrase their queries on search engines. Businesses should stop limiting the reach of their SEO campaigns by using primary keywords alone from the posts they create. It is better to use keywords strategically. This means proper keyword placements and the inclusion of long-tail keywords. Apply SEO principles on both the business’ website and social media pages.
Additionally, backlinks to the site also influence SEO. If a website possesses links from popular and highly authoritative websites, it notifies Google that the site is well reputable. This can effectively boost the site’s ranking in the long run.
5. INSUFFICIENT AND WRONG ALLOCATION OF BUDGET
Insufficient budget and the mismanagement of the company’s funds are usually common in startups. Quite frankly, the topic of managing finances, especially for an agency or business is more complex than it seems.
When it comes to digital marketing, the first thing that usually comes to mind is the money that will be invested to get started with promoting a brand, product or entity. From zero-cost to more costly advertising methods (such as paid ads), newbies in the world of digital marketing tend to be indecisive in choosing what suits their business and clients best. Trying a no-cost tactic in running the digital market is not bad at all. But, investing more in paid tactics balances out the breadth of influence and reach that each marketing effort delivers.
How can this be solved?
The competition among digital marketing agencies is already tough. For starters, it is best to identify first who the target market is. Defining the target audience for each campaign makes it easier to segregate each group of customers. This can be done by taking note of the lifestyle and purchasing behavior of target audiences. Segment audiences based on their age, gender, location, and product preferences. Doing so will help advertise certain products to them more effectively. Additionally, using social media serves as a great medium for product promotion at a minimal cost.
Search for the most cost-effective techniques that can deliver great ROI. Developing a connection with influencers is a good strategy as well for it can contribute greatly to the agency’s growth.
The world of digital marketing is indeed rife with challenges and tough competition among different agencies and businesses. Not to mention, change is an inevitable influence on the course of how successful each campaign will be. Strike the perfect balance between brainstorming for new marketing strategies, maintaining the agency, strengthening connections with customers, and standing out among a sea of competitors. Problems and setbacks do not last forever, after all. All that needs to be done to resolve prevailing issues within the business is to think outside the box, look for possible solutions and find the silver lining within it.
Have you ever encountered setbacks and problems while managing your digital marketing agency? If so, how did you overcome those setbacks? Share your story in the comment section below!
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