7 Mistakes To Avoid When Starting With Digital Marketing

When you first get started with digital marketing, it can feel overwhelming. There’s a ton of fancy technology and everyone has an opinion about how to put it to work for your radio station. Before you make your plan, consider these 7 common digital marketing mistakes that you should avoid. When launching a marketing strategy for your station or business, you need to get clear on your goals, your audience, and your data. Here’s what you need to know to get started.

Mistake #1 – Not Knowing Your Target Audience

This mistake can be fatal. Why? If you don’t know your target audience, you will create content that doesn’t target anyone. Nobody likes generic content. People love to see and read stuff that feels like it was made specifically for them.

To grow your radio station with digital marketing, you need to be super clear on your ideal audience. Is it middle-aged women who surf? Pre-teen boys who like to breakdance? Puppies who have strong opinions about blues versus classic rock? ? All of this information should directly inform the content you create. Not knowing your audience is one of the worst digital marketing mistakes you can make, purely because it means that you could be exerting a ton of energy and money for nothing.

Mistake #2 – Not Doing Keyword Research

Next up, keyword research. Once you know your audience, anybody can do keyword research with online tools like Moz or SEMrush. Let’s start with the basics. What are keywords? Keywords are the things that people type into a search engine or social media search bar. Someone might be specifically looking for your business or they might be looking for a solution to a problem they have.

Either way, the right keywords are essential to connecting with people. Once you know the phrases that align best with your station and your audience, you can build a content strategy based on those topics. It’s all about showing expertise in a certain topic. Keywords can help search engines recognize you as an expert, which connects you with people looking for help.

Mistake #3 – Forgetting About Mobile Users

Yikes, forgetting mobile users is one of the most unfortunate digital marketing mistakes you can make. People spend an average of 4.5 hours per day on their mobile devices. More importantly, they use their smartphones for casual internet browsing when they have free time, so if you have a website (and you really should!), make sure it’s optimized for mobile users. This means a responsive site with a mobile-friendly layout. Oh yeah, just an FYI: We create custom WordPress websites if that’s what you need. ?

Mistake #4 – Focusing on Photos Over Videos

Did you know that videos generally result in higher conversion rates over photos? Many companies make the mistake of filling their newsfeed with stock photos or carefully edited graphics. This represents a lot of time and energy that could be far better spent. After all, the goal of all this content is to create value for visitors, leading to conversion. Studies show that videos are a better investment than photos. Get over your fear and start creating a video strategy. Forget that old saying, “I have a face for radio.”

Mistake #5 – Not Including a Call-to-Action

Think of your call-to-action (CTA) as a stop sign. If you don’t have a CTA, people will just blow through your website without stopping to take action. When it comes to digital marketing mistakes, this one is all too common. Many people are afraid to make direct asks. Change your mindset so you see the ask as providing an opportunity for your listeners to experience something they want and need. 

Mistake #6 – Never Checking Your Analytics

Save yourself from this mistake by setting aside time every week to go over your analytics. It’s important to understand what’s working and what isn’t. Do people respond better to photos of tropical islands or do they like behind-the-scenes videos? It’s not as scary as it sounds. Most social media dashboards make it easy to understand your analytics.

Mistake #7 – Spreading Yourself Too Thin

Finally, another very common digital marketing mistake we see. Business owners and other leaders sometimes feel the need to take on things other people could do. There’s no need to be a jack-of-all-trades. Don’t spread yourself too thin!

Focus on the places that you feel most confident and where you can have the biggest impact.

Get help with things that aren’t your forte. You should be doing what you do best, which is solving problems for your clients or listeners.

Digital media is a great way to connect with your audience and expand your P1 listeners. Your website and your social media channels can be a powerful tool for growing your radio station. The goal is to offer value to your audience, and you don’t need to overcomplicate the process. Get help from us! Let’s schedule a FREE 15-minute Meet + Greet and see if Killer Bee Marketing is a good fit. We’ll help you avoid these classic digital marketing mistakes while helping you grow your business.