A decade ago, the marketing team of most companies used to rely on print (magazines mostly, and some newspapers too), outdoor (hoardings, neon, and some branding done on structures and point-of-purchase) and of course television (then the star among media manager’s priorities). A few years later, most marketing teams started realizing the importance of digital marketing, and some portions of their budgets began to get allocated there. But it was still an exercise in me-too because a Facebook page of the company seemed a nice thing to have.

But, things are different now.

Today, enterprises have realized that digital marketing actually underpins everything else they do for the promotion of their brands, products or services. Attention spans are getting shorter, competition is growing fiercer, and budgets are getting tighter. Therefore, a marketing manager needs to stay sharp and play smart in 2018, in order to stay ahead of the game, using digital marketing as the core of his promotional philosophy and efforts. If you are one of them then you cannot afford to make some marketing mistakes that could be costly. Let us see what some of them are:

Marketing Mistakes to Avoid in 2018

1. Ignoring Content

The Content was king, and it still is. And by content, we do not just mean flowing prose only. The content should be relevant, continuously updated, and provide an interactive platform for keeping customers engaged. One of the mistakes that can reduce the impact of your content is to ignore video content. Work on improving the quality and relevance of your content.

2. Not Using Data Effectively

Marketers earlier used to use a one-size-fits-all strategy for their marketing, but of late have started scratching around the surface in terms of using data. Sadly, most marketers still use data simply because it is a cool thing to be seen using data before designing your marketing effort. That will not be enough. Find out why you want to use data, get that specific data (not hordes of data), and then use that data to fine-tune and personalize your campaigns.

3. Leaving Out Mobile From The Mix

Social media as the lynchpin of your strategy is fine, but you would be making a big mistake if you leave out the ubiquitous mobile phone from the mix. Not just advertisements, even push notifications for installing your company’s app can be very effective, because almost every waking hour is spent using the mobile. Ignore at your own peril.

4. Thinking in Compartments

Just because the world is obsessed with digital marketing, it doesn’t mean that you will ignore everything else. In fact, if you are strategizing separately for different media, it might not be a great idea. You must be thinking in a cohesive, all-encompassing way, and see how, for example, your outdoor media plans can be synced with your plan to release a video ad on youtube.

5. Spending wildly

We are now in an era when customer choices are very volatile, and a fidget spinner which was all the rage a year back can be nowhere to be found in a matter of months. With the overload of opinions and promotions everywhere around us, things can change at the drop of a hat.

One of the marketing mistakes that can haunt you till the end of the year is if you follow the current trends at the start of 2018 and dump all your budget into it now, only to find that it isn’t such a hot idea by the time the third quarter of the year begins. So space out our plans, and leave space (and money) for changes throughout the year.

6. Not choosing your influencers wisely

Big numbers get thrown at marketing managers which overshadow the main purpose of using influencers. Your photography accessory products might not get too many clicks if your insert is placed on a lifestyle blog with a big follower base, but the smaller blog (smaller in terms of followers) of a photography expert might get your website more visits, so he would be a more pertinent and relevant influencer for you. Don’t get blown away by big numbers, and choose to go with relevant influencers only.

7. Underestimating the Power Of Automation

As soon as you chat with your college buddies about planning a trip together to a particular location, your Facebook page suggests feeds with the names of travel sites which can give you the best ticket and hotel deals. There is no one poring over your WhatsApp chats and deciding that, it is all automated. And it makes the advertising more relevant and comes with a high chance of customer responses. Do not make the mistake of planning only static promotional efforts in 2018, and use automation to personalize your promotion to hit the target client effectively.

8. Forgetting the Basics

This list of possible marketing mistakes that you could make would be incomplete if we didn’t reiterate the advice that whatever the age, the basics do not change. The year might be 2018, but what has not changed is that you still need to break ahead of all clamours and reach the customer’s eyes and ears, and once you have done that, you must convey a message that sounds intriguing enough for her to go check you out. And once you have a visit, the rest of your messaging must have enough to not only get her to choose you, but to keep coming back, and also generate further referrals to add to your pipeline.

Final Words

From our experience of hits and misses in 2017 and the massive changes that we see in the industry, these were some of the most common mistakes you would do well to avoid in 2018. But you need to also understand what worked and what didn’t (in the previous year). What you can derive comfort from is the fact that everyone else is also struggling to cope with the new rules of the game, so you are not alone. But that’s visibly not soothing. After all, you’re in business to stand out. So, recalibrate your strategy and market yourself better.