So your business has some room in the budget to start a new marketing campaign. You set out, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, ready to get more eyes on your product or service and boost awareness of your brand. What could possibly go wrong?

Well, as it turns out, there are a whole lot of marketing mistakes you can make—both before and during your digital campaign. But at Alter Endeavors, we’ve come to understand that knowledge is valuable, especially in marketing. Being aware of common pitfalls is an excellent first step toward avoiding them—and not wasting your marketing budget. So in today’s post, part one of a two-part blog series, we’re taking a look at four marketing mistakes that can kill your campaign before it even starts. Let’s dive in! 

1. Not having a defined brand

At its very core, a marketing campaign is all about sharing your brand with more people. Because of that, a successful marketing campaign requires, at the very least,  a well-defined brand. This includes knowing what your niche is, who your audience is, and how they consume content so that you can create accordingly. 

If you don’t have a solid brand identity, your content will likely miss the mark—and even if it doesn’t, it’ll be much more difficult to put together, and your calls to action will be less effective. After all: if you don’t know yourself, how will your customers?

2. Lack of specific direction or objectives

What is the goal of your marketing campaign? This is a critical question to answer, and to answer well with specific objectives and benchmarks for success. Unfortunately, some companies start marketing campaigns without any real, tangible objectives—simply because they know they should be doing marketing.

While this is a great way to throw away money, it won’t accomplish much else. Operating without a clear end goal in mind, you’ll struggle in getting a return on your investment and your audience will struggle to know exactly who you are. 

3. Having unrealistic expectations

Goals and objectives should be specific, but they should also be realistic and attainable. For example, if you’re trying to sell shirts, selling 1,000 shirts in the first week is certainly a specific objective—but if your following is just getting off the ground, it’s not a very realistic one.

To set reasonable goals for your marketing campaign, it’s important to do some research on what you can expect from the campaign you’re running, based on the size of your existing following, what you’re trying to accomplish, and what your budget is. 

Another way companies sometimes have unrealistic expectations is by expecting success to happen more or less immediately. Success in marketing requires patience, however. So, if your campaign isn’t getting results overnight, don’t just go back to the drawing board. Keep track of what’s happening, gather data, and don’t let yourself get discouraged. 

4. Not targeting the right platforms 

Every business wants more visibility. To do that, you should be on every platform all the time, right? Well, no. When it comes to getting a good return on your investment in marketing, choosing the right platforms can make a big difference—especially when it comes to advertising.

So as you plan your marketing campaign, think about which platforms make the most sense for your business. Some businesses should advertise on Instagram or Pinterest, while others will find more success on Facebook or LinkedIn. Market well on a few platforms, rather than spreading your efforts too thin and wasting energy on platforms your audience may not even use.

Plan carefully to avoid each of these marketing mistakes!

Marketing your business might seem like something you can dive right into, but the truth is that a successful marketing campaign hinges on careful planning and strategizing. If you need help getting your digital campaign off the ground, we’re always available to chat!

And be sure to tune in for the second part of our blog series, where we’ll discuss the major digital marketing mistakes to avoid during your campaign.