There is an absolutely overwhelming number of factors that come into play with digital marketing. You have to consider social media strategies, content creation, SEO practices, and that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
There is, however, one thing that all experts agree is crucial to success: finding a niche.
So why is finding a niche so important for your blog? Here at Jontorres.com, we believe identifying and refining your niche is the best way to lure in that ever-elusive target audience, gain quality leads and drive positive customer action.
While finding a niche is undoubtedly important, there are other factors that come into play as you enter the world of digital marketing.
If you’re just starting out, chances are you’re going to run into a few problems along the way and make some common mistakes.
Our experts give their advice on some of the biggest digital marketing mistakes made so that you’re one step ahead of the game.
You’ll also get an inside look at tools used by experts to improve their digital marketing strategies.
Let’s get right into it. Keep reading for advice, tools, and mistakes to avoid in digital marketing.
How did you find your niche?
When it comes to digital marketing, finding a profitable niche is crucial to your success. There are several factors involved in finding the correct niche, so we asked the experts to weigh in. Let’s see what these digital marketers have to say about finding a niche.
Lily Ugbaja
Founder: FindingBalance.Mom
Website: findingbalance.mom
“I already started one blog before and failed, so with my next blog and subsequent ones, I didn’t blindly go with my gut. I used data.
While working as a freelance writer, post first blog fail, I began to notice that blogs in certain niches could afford to pay better than others.
Those blogs had 3 things going for them:
People were already searching for the information they shared.
The people who were searching had the money to afford what they needed.
These people didn’t just have the money, they were spending it on things within their chosen niche.
That was how I choose my blog niche. I searched for topics I liked which met all those 3 criteria and that formula has never failed me yet.”
This expert brings up a very important point. First, you need to choose a niche that you’re passionate about. In the case of Lily, she chose a niche that she understood and topics she truly enjoys.
Ideally, you have some background information on the niche you choose, so you can write from a place of experience. Of course, you also need to consider the profitability of your niche. Lily points out that while passion is important, profitability is equally as important.
In addition to these excellent insights, I will add that when choosing your niche, it’s important to research your competition to the fullest. You need to understand what your competition is bringing to the market and where you can fill in the gaps.
Look at what your competition is addressing, and expand upon it, or take it in a new direction. Refine your niche by addressing issues that your competition may have overlooked.”
What are the biggest mistakes when it comes to digital marketing?
As I’m sure you’re already aware, digital marketing is full of pitfalls and miscalculations. This can be discouraging when you’re first starting out. Luckily, these experts are willing to share some common mistakes in digital marketing, so that you can avoid them.
Alice Bedward
Digital Marketing Specialist: Flyparks
Website: flyparks.com
“Failing to brush up on your skills and keep up with industry developments.
Everyone makes mistakes, particularly early on in their career. One of the most common mistakes junior-level digital marketers make is not keeping their skills up to date. Never assume you know it all – the field is evolving at a rapid rate, with new developments and trends springing up on a constant basis.
Go deeper into your core tech, creative, and analytical marketing skills, and then consider learning complementary skills from other business and online disciplines. Otherwise, both your CV and your tactics run the risk of growing stale.
Not every job will present you with opportunities to learn as you go, but it’s vital to create your own opportunities for growth. Take online classes, attend seminars, research available certificates, read blog posts – just don’t let your skills development lapse just because your employer doesn’t offer any on-site training.”
Cody Allen
Founder: The Cody Allen
Website: thecodyallen.com
“When it comes to digital marketing, there are a few pitfalls that people tend to end up in when first starting.
The first, and maybe most prevalent one is trying to do too much. Making money online is exciting, it’s fast-paced, and there’s so much information out there. It can be easy to want to try content marketing, media buying, affiliate marketing, email marketing, e-commerce, etc all at once. But the truth is, you can be really average at a lot of things or great at a few things.
My advice is to start with one skill set and master it which will help you develop your niche.
Once you master the sill, you can use virtual assistants to help you accomplish that task more efficiently.
Second, becoming complacent. Once you find success in this space you HAVE to continue to learn and grow more. Consistently investing in your education is paramount to your long term success. Many people find a bit of success and then think they’ve got the internet all figured out, till they fall flat on their faces.
Lastly, not being patient. Making money and developing an online brand takes time and consistent effort. Many people jump in and expect instant results. Nothing happens overnight, especially in this industry. Create a plan, stick to it, and find long term success.”
Margaret H. Geiger
Founder: Twelve31 Media, LLC
Website: twelve31-media.com
“The biggest mistake when it comes to digital marketing is not having a plan. Having a specific plan that details who your target market is, what you are selling or providing, where your audience can get this product or service, why this product or service is important and useful, and how much you are willing to spend as far as a budget is concerned is extremely important.
All businesses should invest in a digital marketing professional if they want to plan for success. I have seen too many businesses throw money out the window because they did not consult a professional or have a real plan.
In order to have a successful digital marketing campaign, you have to have a plan that states your ultimate goals and objectives with a smart budget in mind. It’s great to have extra money to spend on marketing and advertising, but it’s pointless if there is no set plan on HOW it should be spent.”
Alexis Haselberger
Founder: Alexis Haselberger Coaching & Consulting
Website: alexishaselberger.com
“My main strategy for digital marketing has been to ramp up backlinks using HARO, being on podcasts, partnering with other companies to do webinars, etc.
So, one of the mistakes that I see is thinking that all digital marketing must be paid marketing and advertising.
Of course, by doing the things I mention, you are paying with your time. However, if you are bootstrapping, your time might be the resource you have access to vs. money.”
All of these digital marketing experts offer solid, actionable ways to avoid common pitfalls. Keeping your skills sharp, creating a marking plan, and diversifying your marketing strategies are incredibly smart tactics to master for the successful digital marketer.
To piggyback on this, one more common mistake that you may face is the failure to define your target audience. You may have a general idea of who your audience is, but without real data, you may be wasting your time.
All of your content is curated for a specific audience. You should be addressing their issues and giving useful advice and information. You can’t effectively do any of that without a real idea of who your audience is.
What tools do you recommend to help with digital marketing?
In this day and age, there is a vast selection of digital marketing tools to choose from. Whether you’re focused on keyword research or email campaigns, there is a variety of quality tools to choose from. Our experts reveal which tools they perfect when it comes to digital marketing.
Sam Olmsted
Search & Content Director: Online Optimism
Website: onlineoptimism.com
“As a Scottsdale SEO expert, I use Moz, SEMRush, and Google Keyword Planner to help my clients rank higher on search engines. One of the most important parts of SEO is creating valuable content pieces based on relevant and highly-searched keywords. You can use something like SuerferSEO to structure your content.
These software tools empower you to identify the right keywords, understand how difficult it will be to rank for them, and decide what type of content piece to write.”
Gabriel Bertolo
Founder: Radiant Elephant
Website: radiantelephant.com
“There are some truly great tools available to help streamline your digital marketing efforts. The biggest thing I look for in a tool is how much time it saves me and my team. It is an added bonus if it also provides better data for us to work with.
One of my favorite tools for digital marketing is Adespresso. It is a tool that really streamlines the Facebook/Instagram Ad creation process as well as AdWords. We all know how bad the interface for all of these ad platforms is. Adespresso allows me to create split tests in a much easier way.
It also provides the data in a wonderfully beautiful and easy to read way. I can’t even begin to calculate the amount of time it has saved me. The ease of use has made our digital advertising campaigns so much more effective.”
Bijay Gupta
Founder: WPVilla
Website: wpvilla.com
“Out of many tools, two of the most important ones are –
Canva: Creating high-quality images for contents or social media campaigns is a regular activity in the life of a digital marketer and that’s where Canva comes in.
Canva is an easy to use graphic design software to create professional graphics and designs such as Logo, Infographics, Banner Images, Social media Posters, and a lot more.
This single tool comes with pre-built templates, fonts, icons, and other design elements that can take your design to a whole new level.
ConvertKit: Email Marketing is one of the effective ways to reach and engage with your prospects and audience. A powerful tool like ConvertKit can do wonders for every marketer by converting regular readers into subscribers and customers.
As a solid email marketing automation tool, ConvertKit makes it easy for you to connect and build a healthy relationship through its smart features such as effective lead generation forms, landing pages, email sequences, analytics, and a lot more.
In short, ConvertKit is the one tool that every digital marketer must consider adding to their list of tools.”
All of the tools mentioned by our experts are great choices. Personally, my favorite tools are Surfer SEO and Ahrefs.
SurferSEO is an awesome search engine optimization tool that can help you find the right keywords, understand ranking factors, and create optimized content. This tool analyzes over 500 ranking factors so that you don’t have to do it manually.
It also has a great content editing platform. This feature gives you a list of suggested keywords that have been compiled through an analysis of competing articles.
They also have a free Chrome extension that shows you quick stats on important keywords as you search on Google.
Ahrefs is another great option. Ahrefs provides a variety of digital marketing tools including a keyword explorer, a site-auditor, and a rank tracker. The site audit is great because it analyzes your entire site and provides a full report on your SEO health.
You can use this information to improve your web pages and rank higher on Google. While most of these tools do cost money, it’s the benefits they provide can vastly improve your digital marketing strategies.
Conclusion:
Although there are endless factors to consider in digital marketing, these experts have provided solid advice to anyone just starting out or seeking to improve their skills.
Focusing on finding a niche should be the first step in any digital marketers journey. Your niche should be something you’re truly interested in, but it also needs to be profitable.
Keep in mind, it’s your job to make sure your skills stay sharp. Make sure to diversify your marketing strategy and create a realistic marketing plan for your business.
Lastly, invest in a digital marketing tool to give your business the best chance at success.