If you're marketing your business on your own, it can be easy to make mistakes when you're already wearing so many hats. Unfortunately, marketing mistakes can be costly on different levels. The time and financial investment can often lead to missed opportunities if your marketing isn't successful.

We get it – the marketing world can be overwhelming, mainly social media marketing. You show up online, share a few posts with little success, then wonder where you went wrong. Sound familiar? You're not alone!

To help you improve your marketing game, we've compiled five common marketing mistakes and how to avoid them. 

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1. Not having a strategy

Marketing and strategy go hand in hand. Without a plan in place, you won't know where to focus your efforts or how to measure whether you've been successful.

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Creating a marketing plan may sound intimidating, but not having a strategy is why most marketing fails. A 2022 study showed that those with a marketing plan are 674% more likely to report success.

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Start by outlining goals and key performance indicators for your marketing initiatives and campaigns. Then, decide what marketing channel and what type of content will be best suited to reach the goals you've set.  

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2. Sleeping on video content

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Video content, especially short-form video, has dominated the internet in the last few years. With the emergence of TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts, video seems to be the most effective online communication strategy.

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If showing your face on camera isn't your thing, don't worry. There are many other ways to incorporate video content into your marketing strategy. For example, you can look at animating your images, showing behind-the-scenes content, or using stop motion graphics.

Check out this blog post for a step-by-step guide on creating a social video strategy.

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3. Trying to reach everybody

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You've probably heard the saying, "when you speak to everyone, you speak to no one." Unfortunately, this saying is right on the money when it comes to online marketing.

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Do your due diligence to research your target audience's demographics. Ideally, it would be best to have this information nailed down during your strategy phase. Be sure to understand your audience’s pain points, goals, desires, and buying personas. Having a well-defined target audience can set your marketing efforts up for success.

4. Being inconsistent

When it comes to marketing, consistency is vital. You can't show up periodically or try various strategies in hopes that something will work.

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Frequent posting will keep your brand at the top of your customer's minds and inform them of new products or services. Now, this doesn’t mean you should post something just to post it. Every piece of content should serve a specific purpose! Well-planned, strategic content is the best way to connect with your audience and convert them into paying customers. 

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If you struggle to stay consistent with your marketing game, try using scheduling tools like Later or Planoly to simplify the content process.

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5. Not tracking results

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Another common mistake business owners make is not tracking their marketing analytics. Without metrics and KPIs in place, you could be wasting time and money on something that isn't delivering results.

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Luckily, there are built-in tools on websites and social media to help you understand these analytics. As a result, you can tweak your strategy, tactics, and assets by consistently tracking your results to provide the most return for your marketing investment.

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Fixing these mistakes is critical to the life of your business. Take the time to understand your customer, produce consistent video content, and often track your marketing data. Once you do, get ready to see your business grow! 

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