6 Marketing Mistakes to Avoid When Starting Your Entrepreneurial Journey

The change in the world of digital marketing is inevitable. Today, we learn to decipher the Instagram algorithm, and the next day, trends leave us wondering if we should also have TikTok. Digital marketing is a challenging endeavor, filled with various social platforms, analytical tools, competitors, and more.

So, here are 6 mistakes we should avoid to stay afloat and grow our brand in the marketing world:

1. Not having a clear understanding of your target audience

Remember all the talk about the «Buyer Persona»? It’s essential to understand the type of people you want to reach with your product or service. It’s different to target someone who buys out of necessity versus someone who buys out of preference. Sending the same message to a 30-year-old working mother and a single, entrepreneurial woman of the same age won’t resonate the same way. Depending on this, you’ll need to design your communication strategy and choose the channels where you’re most likely to reach your target audience.

2. Marketing without analytics is not marketing

«Do not expect things to change if you keep doing the same» (Albert Einstein). If you don’t analyze your marketing strategy, traffic on different channels, preferred content of your audience, or the ROI of your campaigns, then you might be wasting money unnecessarily. Understanding what works and what doesn’t, along with the reasons why, is crucial for pivoting your strategy or maintaining it when necessary.

3. Focusing on a single communication channel

It’s tempting to stick to the channel where you have the most experience, but failing to design and execute a 360-degree strategy might lead your competition to capture potential customers on other channels while you’re solely posting pictures on Instagram. It’s vital to consider all the touchpoints where customers interact with the brand.

«Design as if you were absolutely right, then optimize as if you were wrong from the beginning.»

Jordie Van Rijn

4. Lack of consistency

Consistency is not only about marketing practices; it’s about consistent brand communication across all platforms. From the typography used to the tone of the message, to the type of content being shared – a consistent brand leaves a much more favorable impression.

5. Solely focusing on digital

We’re still human! Human contact is essential, even more so now with so much digital advertising. Human interaction is genuinely something different that can touch a customer’s heart. The real-world experience of the customer with the brand must not be left out of the marketing strategy. From a physical birthday card to participate in a food fair with your chocolate company to letting customers experience the aroma of the ingredients used in the chocolates heavily promoted digitally.

6. Giving up after failure

If you’ve tested your product/service in the market and received positive feedback, or if you genuinely believe your brand solves a problem, don’t give up after not achieving the expected results. Before trying again, it’s crucial to understand the true differentiating factor of the brand and how that should be communicated.

Related Articles