It’s 2020 and many organizations still do not have a clearly defined digital marketing strategy, while more than 70% of businesses view their marketing strategy as ineffective. Some of the top challenges the companies nowadays are facing are generating traffic and leads, proving the ROI of their marketing activities, securing enough budget, and managing their websites. Juggling all of these trials can lead even the most resourceful business people to fall into one of many digital marketing traps causing their businesses to suffer. Of course, the best way to avoid traps is to know where they are, so here are some digital marketing mistakes you must avoid in 2020.

Not setting clear and measurable goals
As we have mentioned, proving the ROI of marketing activities is one of the biggest challenges digital marketers are facing these days. The reason behind it is that they often set unclear and unmeasurable goals for their marketing strategies. The objectives should be specific such as increasing lead conversions by 25% by August 2020. This way, you will be able to measure your success and change your tactics, if needed.
Not identifying your target audience
This is the mistake that marked the downfall of many prosperous business ideas in 2019 and it would be wise not to repeat it. Identifying the target audience is the first step in creating a comprehensive digital marketing strategy, and it will determine everything, from the appearance of your website to the qualities of your offer. A successful targeting includes understanding the benefits your business brings to the table and who benefits from it, researching their purchasing power and habits, but also digging into their Internet behavior. It also entails a clear business strategy when it comes to the targeted market – it is not the same if your product is intended for international buyers or solely for Hong Kong, Europe or New York customers.
Underestimating the power of SEO
The position on the first page of the Google search is not an easy thing to get, but many businesses fail to realize that and they are repeating mistakes such as targeting exact match search queries, creating duplicate content and stuffing keywords into their landing pages. By doing this, they risk getting Google penalties. The first step towards an effective SEO strategy is creating a user-friendly and search-engine friendly website. For this and other SEO tasks, it is always best to hire professionals. But consider the experience, expertise, and the market they are operating within. You can find excellent SEO services in Hong Kong where you will get a responsive website and relevancy recognized by search engines with ease.
Being slow in embracing novelties
In the past years, we have had several novelties in digital marketing which, perhaps, were not as popular then, but today they are threatening to become essential. Of course, we are talking about voice commerce and augmented reality. There is still time to jump on board and create a strategy for using them effectively. In fact, it is assessed that by the end of this year half of the total searches will be completed by voice command. If you are still trying to wrap your head around virtual reality, stop what you are doing and move on to the augmented version, because it is expected to surpass the virtual one by 2021. This does not mean that you should forget the other elements which have endured through thick and thin, such as videos, images, and infographics.
Focusing exclusively on paid advertisements
If you have been keeping up with the digital marketing trends, you must have been aware that paid advertisements are just one of the ways to get your product out there. Sure, paid ads are useful if you want to increase visibility, particularly for those new on the market. However, if you have already generated organic reach, you should invest in other tools such as developing high-quality content, reaching out to influencers, and improving the design of your landing pages.
Now that you have an insight into where all the traps of digital marketing in 2020 lie, you should be able to maneuver your way around them and design a productive marketing strategy that will provide your business with the stability you need in these turbulent days, but also a growth opportunity.