Top Digital Marketing Mishaps and How to Solve Them

Digital marketing has come a long way over the last few years. Big data means businesses have more data-driven insights than ever before, which translates to quality relationships with customers and (hopefully) increased conversions along with a better bottom line.

While digital marketing continues to improve and empower the way businesses interact with their customers online, the process doesn’t come without its challenges.

We’ve compiled a list of marketing mishaps that are most likely to frustrate your customer—along with our proposed solutions:

1. Dead-End Pages

Simply having an informative website presence is no longer enough. These days, it’s all about interaction, and it’s absolutely critical to actively create an ongoing relationship with site visitors in order to get the most out of your website investment. This doesn’t mean that you should hound potential customers with “Buy It Now” pop-ups, but your site should offer a convenient method for customers to act on the information they find—even if only by taking advantage of strategically placed contact forms or opt-ins for special event information, social updates, and discounts.

Offering something of value in exchange for contact information is another great way to build your email list—think in terms of white papers or free eBooks that offer solutions to a common customer problem.

2. Broken Links and 404 Errors

There are few things more frustrating to a consumer who is looking for something specific than “Page Not Found” …especially when that link comes from somewhere on your site. Rather than sending your visitors away frustrated and empty-handed, consider deploying a 404-page template designed to offer a lighthearted explanation for the broken link, along with an actionable response – think links to functional pages, email opt-ins, and even an option to submit a ticket.

3. Inconsistency

Inconsistencies throughout your messaging may seem insignificant in the grand scheme of things, but when it comes to the overall customer experience, they can really add up. For instance, if you refer to a sale price in an email blast—but your website shopping cart displays the original price, and the fine print reveals that the sale price is only applicable if the visitor purchases a year’s worth of services—your potential customer might go from feeling slightly annoyed to completely mislead. And they may not be a potential customer anymore.

Being consistent in your messaging is critical to establishing brand trust. Before starting a new campaign, be sure to outline your core value proposition, your regular and promotional pricing schedule, any relevant taglines, and all potential variations as to how you’ll refer to your product or service throughout the campaign. Keep this master document handy for reference any time you consider launching a new part of your strategy.

4. Outdated Content

Few things make a business look more out of touch than a website full of references to past events, unavailable live webinars, and outdated company news.

Links to your website’s event pages don’t expire when the event is over. Whether your customers find their way via a trade show blast, a colleague’s blog post, or even through organic search—if the page hasn’t been updated or removed, it will leave a not-so-great impression that you aren’t staying on top of things.

Of course, if these pages are generating traffic, you don’t want to delete them. Consider these options instead:

• Update the page. Modify the message, change the call to action, and offer something current and of value.
• Redirect the page. Point your visitors to your event calendar for the remainder of the year, or to another upcoming event. This way, you don’t lose valuable traffic and you keep your messaging current and useful for your customer.

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