Updated: Sep 7, 2022
A drop in sales. A lack of engagement. A decrease in customers. Bad marketing can cause all of these.
But a solid, well-researched marketing strategy? When properly executed, your company’s marketing plans support your vision and business plan, creating loyalty, revenue and in tandem with PR, a solid reputation. What comes first: marketing or PR? They go hand in hand.
We can spot bad marketing a mile away – and so can your stakeholders.
What exactly does that look like? In this article we’ll share the five marketing mistakes that you could be unknowingly making, how to spot them, and solutions.
Making your content hard to find
Let’s say your company has created a new telehealth platform that connects patients with doctors in minutes. The website says “Get help in minutes”, “Find a doctor now”, and “Sign up now for a doctor appointment”.
It’s to the point, makes sense, and is accurate. But your website traffic and customer sign up numbers are low. What gives?
SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization. Think of it like Ctrl-F for the Internet. Without the right keywords and phrases, no one can find you.
There are countless guides on SEO best practices so we won’t bore you. Here’s two easy first steps towards strengthening your SEO: pick topics your company and content relates to, and then find the relevant keywords (which can be easily done using online tools).
Your SEO strategy covers website and blog content, as well as tags and metadata connected to your images. Actually using images is step one to great SEO. If you’re looking for a more in-depth explanation of image SEO, check out Yoast’s helpful advice on this topic.
Focusing on features over benefits
Below are two versions of an electric vehicle description (2022 looks like it’s going to be a big year for EVs…).
Polestar 3 has undergone a rethink on interior design, removing the need for transmission tunnels to run the length of the chassis.
A redesign of Polestar 3 allows space for a flat floor cabin and a higher seating position.
Unless you know a lot about cars, it’s likely that the second statement had more of an impact than one about transmission tunnels and the chassis. This is a prime example of benefits over features.
Technology companies often face the challenge of trying to translate their magical product or service into language that can be easily understood. To write content that makes sense, ask yourself: are you writing about the features, or the actual benefits that the end user will experience?
Have a go at categorizing the following statements into features and benefits.
Carrots are a great source of Vitamin A.
Carrots can improve your vision and reduce the risk of heart disease.
Your audience wants to know how your product will make their life better. Apply what we’ve just walked through to all of your marketing content to help make your tech make sense (or whatever industry you’re in).
Thinking ‘longer’ means ‘better’
You may notice that this section is shorter than the others. All of a sudden, it’s more appealing. You know it’ll take you one minute to read it instead of five.
It’s the classic, less is more. Long-winded sentences and chunky paragraphs turn people off. It’s Twitter’s USP in a nutshell.
A two-sentence statement can be as powerful, if not more, than two paragraphs. If you notice that visitors are spending very little time on your website, take a look at the content length.
Letting old content go stale in a corner
Let’s imagine your company puts out a funding announcement, which gets picked up by local and national news. Your name is in the headlines, and hundreds of new customers are clicking through. But when they check out your blog, the latest post is from 2017. Your social media channels are bare, and inconsistent. There’s a ‘Copyright 2015’ label at the bottom of your page. They close your website.
What takes a customer from interested to sold? We’re not solely reliant on word of mouth or hearsay. Now, customers can do their own research, which often includes looking at a company’s social media, website, and overall online presence.
This doesn’t mean your company needs to post everyday. The key here is consistency. Even if a customer can see you share a blog post once a month and tweet once a week, they’ll be reassured to see you’ve posted content within the last 30 days.
If you’ve not got new content to post, but have some evergreen blog posts from a few years back? Work smarter, not harder. By updating and republishing blog posts you’re ensuring that old content isn’t going to waste. And saving yourself a couple hours of work too.
Forgetting some key KPIs
Clicks and scrolls. The two things that can test your audience’s patience, but are not always thought of as important.
Look at your website. How many scrolls does it take to reach the CTA, or to click ‘Buy’? Does the user have to click six times to find the information they want?
Make sure the most important content, CTA or imagery is in your ‘above the fold’ content. Which is to say, what section are users greeted with as they first open the website? Video hosting platform Wistia is a great example of above the fold content done right. As soon as you open the website you know, without scrolling, who they are, what they do, and what purchasing options there are.
Is your marketing sabotaging your company? Or are you unsure of where to even start?
We can help you create and execute a robust marketing plan. Our PR expertise means we can take a holistic approach to your communications.
Contact our marketing and PR agency now to make sure your marketing efforts are moving your business forward – not slowing you down.