The Top 10 Digital Marketing Mistakes in Small Businesses in 2021
Digital marketing is a powerful tool for reaching a business’s target market in a cost-effective manner. While large companies have the resources to manage their own digital marketing initiatives, small businesses often outsource this work because of budgetary concerns or a lack of hiring ability.
In any case, it’s essential that small businesses understand the potential pitfalls when engaging with an outside agency or contractor for this kind of service. While there are many ways that outsourcing can hurt a small business, here are the top ten mistakes that companies make when hiring an outside firm:
1) Not Understanding The Advantages & Disadvantages Of Hiring A Contractor Vs Outsourcing To An Agency
Most outsourced digital marketing campaigns plan to build brand recognition, increase product exposure and drive website traffic. Unfortunately, these are all improvement areas for most small businesses as they have historically been underperforming in these areas. By understanding the potential pitfalls of hiring a contractor, you can avoid being shocked after your campaign has started by discovering that there were many common mistakes with how the plan was executed.
2) Choosing The Wrong Digital Marketing Services For A Small Business
Small companies tend to be more focused on their products and less on brand development than larger competitors. This is why it makes sense for them to focus first on increasing product exposure and driving web traffic before spending money on brand building campaigns. While digital marketing will play a role in increasing sales from ecommerce sites or brick-and-mortar stores, some businesses will find that they are better off putting their limited resources into an offline promotion before digital marketing.
3) Not Hiring A Marketing Vendor Who Can Customize The Service To Your Business’s Specific Needs
Many small business owners make the mistake of hiring a company because it seems affordable without realizing that this won’t offer a customized service or enough attention to meet individual goals. In order to increase sales and grow your customer base, you need a tailored service built on your specific needs rather than going with a one-size-fits-all solution from a vendor who doesn’t know anything about your market.
4) Failing To Get An In-Depth Proposal & Contract
While most small business owners realize that it’s worthwhile to spend some time crafting a detailed proposal for a job, they often fail from the other side by not asking for enough information from a marketing agency or contractor before hiring them. In order to make sure that both sides are clear on what is expected, you should request an in-depth proposal and contract be submitted prior to signing any agreement.
5) Failing To Keep Track Of Projects & Results
One of the common mistakes made with any outsourced service is failing to keep track of projects and results. In many cases, small businesses don’t have the staff necessary to oversee digital marketing efforts after they have been launched so it becomes essential for these vendors to communicate updates, requests and testing results as needed. In order for this to be effective, it’s important that the small business has a person designated as the point of contact who can track projects and pass along information from the contractor.
6) Not Establishing Expectations For Reporting & Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
In any outsourced digital marketing campaign, it is essential that both sides have a clear understanding of what reporting will take place and at what intervals. While some companies thrive on weekly reports, others prefer to receive updates less frequently or through phone conversations. By establishing expectations right away, both sides will want to stick with the program since they know exactly what level of communication is expected.
7) Failing To Keep Up With Promotional Trends In Digital Marketing
Another common mistake made by small business owners when outsourcing digital marketing is failing to keep up with the latest promotional trends in this area. While large brands can launch an expensive campaign and let it run for several weeks or months in order to see results, small businesses that don’t have a lot of staff in-house will need to make updates in real-time. By staying on top of new developments, you will know whether or not your vendor is still capable of meeting your needs.
8) Not Testing Social Media Campaigns Before Launching Them
One of the most important things to do before launching any paid social media campaign is testing one out first. This will enable you to find out if what worked last year will continue to generate traffic and income or if you need to make adjustments. Even though the small business owner will want to show immediate results, it’s important to remember that you won’t know how successful any campaign is until it has run its course.
9) Waiting Too Long To Review Agency Performance
A very common mistake made by small businesses is waiting too long before reviewing agency performance. In many cases, a company may think that they are being proactive by allowing their contractor to continue working for several months without any oversight but this can result in an unhappy surprise when the contract comes up for renewal or extension. By taking control of your marketing at regular intervals, both sides will be able to meet expectations better with faster response times which can lead directly to increased sales.
10) Not Having A Plan For The Future Of Your Online Presence
Small businesses that come up with an online plan for the future will be better prepared to outsource their digital marketing needs than those who fail to think this through. Even though you might feel as if your website is still sending traffic and generating income, it’s possible that your audience won’t know what direction they should take, what products to purchase or how to find answers to common questions. By having a plan in place now, both sides can avoid future headaches by working together on behalf of the small business owner.
Digital marketing is a powerful tool for reaching a business’s target market in a cost-effective manner. While large companies have the resources to manage their own digital marketing initiatives, small businesses often outsource this work because of budgetary concerns or a lack of hiring ability. In any case, it’s essential that small businesses understand…