The line between marketing and sales has faded, and digital marketing and advertising is now a single discipline. It’s important to have a clear understanding of each term and what their differences are in order to succeed as a digital marketer. We’ll explore the line between marketing and sales, as well as the differences between digital marketing and advertising. We’ll also discuss the 10 most common social media and digital advertising mistakes that, if you aren’t careful, can cost you significant revenue.
1. Thinking That Facebook Is The Only Platform
You might think that since social media is so popular and so many marketers are on it that it must be the best choice for reaching your audience. But, as we’ve discussed before, not all social media is created equal, and you should always examine your target audience before making a decision.
After all, not all of your followers are going to want or need your product. So, in order to ensure you reach the right audience, you need to look at where they are and what they want. In some cases, this might mean starting a blog instead of a social media account. But in other cases, it could mean creating different personas and testing different types of content on social media.
2. Thinking Short-Term
Marketers have a short-term memory, and that often trips them up. So when a new platform emerges, they’ll quickly latch on to it and forget about the others. But while that might work for a while, eventually, they’ll start missing out on some key benefits that the newer platforms offer. It’s a catch-22: the more you use it, the more you appreciate it, but also the more you appreciate it, the more you want to use it. That’s why it’s so important to constantly evaluate the best ways to reach your audience and determine what’s working and what isn’t.
3. Thinking That Facebook Is The Only Source Of Revenues
A lot of digital marketers think that all of their revenues come from Facebook. But that’s not true. They might get a small percentage of their total revenue from the platform, but other sources of revenue include Google Ads, Amazon, and Pinterest. So, while Facebook is the best source of engagement, it’s not the only one.
4. Thinking That Facebook Is The Only Place For Free Advertisements
Even if you’re running a successful business with dozens of employees, you’ll still want to make money from your advertisements. And if that means paying for advertisements on Facebook then you should probably look for other platforms. Not only does it cost money to run advertisements on Facebook, but it takes time to get the most out of them. So instead of using Facebook to reach your audience, which won’t generate any revenue, you could try out different platforms such as Google Ads.
5. Thinking That Everyone On Facebook Loves Your Product
It’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking that everyone on your Facebook page likes or loves your product. But, let’s be honest, not everyone is going to want to admit that they like or love your product. So what happens then? You reach out to people who do like or love your product and hope that they’ll tell their friends about it. Which, in turn, might lead to you acquiring some new customers.
6. Thinking That Everything Can Be Handed Via An App
There is a misconception that whenever a new technological advancement emerges that it’s only useful for handling digital marketing and advertising. But that’s far from true, as many traditional marketing and sales tactics still work in the digital sphere. You just have to find the right tool for the job.
For example, let’s say that you’re selling luxury goods and you decide to use a tool that allows you to both design your ads and manage your marketing campaigns. Through that tool, you’re able to test which ads perform best and optimize your campaign based on your findings. While that might not seem like a traditional marketing or sales tool, it is in fact a digital marketing and advertising tool, and it helps you optimize your performance on social media platforms like Facebook.
7. Thinking That Instagram Is Just For Showing Off Your Art Or Food
Instagram is one of the most popular platforms among millennials, and it’s mostly because people use it the wrong way. They think that it’s only for showing off their art or food, which, to be fair, it can be used for. But it can also be used for marketing, and there are many apps and tools that can help you with your Instagram account. Like most other social platforms, Instagram has a keyhole feature that allows you to see the profile pictures of people you follow. But, beyond that, you can use it to test different types of content and see how your audience reacts.
8. Thinking That Pinterest Is Only For Women Or Boys (Or Boys And Girls, But You Get The Point)
Pinterest is another one of the most popular social media platforms among millennials. It’s mostly used as a place to discover and save creative and stylish ideas that they can then share with their followers. But it can also be used for marketing, and there are many tools that can be used to enhance your experience on the platform.
For example, if you’re a fashion company and you have a Pinterest account for your store, you can use the platform to discover and save creative and stylish ideas that your followers can then enjoy. Or if you’re a wedding planners and you have a Pinterest account for your business, you can use the platform to discover and save creative and stylish ideas that your followers can then enjoy. It’s a place to discover and save inspiration for DIY projects, gift ideas, and more.
9. Thinking That Google Analytics Is The Only Measurement Tool
If you’re using Google Analytics to determine the performance of your website or blog, you’re probably using the wrong tool. Just like with most other marketing and sales tools, there are a variety of measurement tools available, and it’s important to understand what each one can and cannot do.
For example, if you want to know how many visitors you get to your site everyday, you can use Google Analytics to track those numbers. But if you want to know how many people are actually engaging with your content, you should look into other tools such as Hovercraft, which analyzes your content based on a user’s behavior. So, while Google Analytics can tell you how many people came to your site and how they interacted with it, it can’t tell you if those people actually engaged with your content.
10. Thinking That YouTube Is Only For Video Content
YouTube is one of the most popular platforms among millennials, with over a billion active users each month. And it’s mostly because people use it the right way. You can use YouTube to create and share video content, whether it’s an explainer video, a tutorial, or maybe even a marketing video. But, beyond that, you can use it to test different types of content and discover what works best for your niche.
So, while you might not always need to use video content to succeed on YouTube, you definitely should consider it if your target audience enjoys consuming content in that format.
Blogs, social media, and other digital platforms are essential pieces of any marketing and sales strategy. It’s important to remember that while these are all effective tools for marketing and sales, they’re not the be-all and end-all of the industry. And if you want to truly understand the power of digital marketing and advertising, you have to look at your target audience and determine what works best for them.