7 Rookie Mistakes Brand Marketers Should Watch Out For

Newcomers to the world of brand marketing often feel overwhelmed or utterly lost. There's a veritable plethora of channels, tactics & tools to explore. To make things even more difficult, some make much more sense for your business than others, depending on a matrix of circumstances. Related: 7 branding mistakes your company should avoid This leads some to deploy advanced marketing strategies while overlooking the basics of good brand marketing. Mistakes like this could cost you thousands of dollars, tarnish your reputation, and set back your business plans. With so much on the line, you can't afford to dive in unprepared. Here are 7 rookie mistakes that often fly under the radar yet profoundly impact your strategies and goals. Mistake #1: Scattergun approach Spreading yourself too thin is an easy trap to fall into. You can't please and cater to everyone—and you shouldn't. In fact, attempting this futile endeavor will result in satisfying no one. Case in point: many startups establish accounts on every social network they can, only to find that managing them all is virtually impossible. Even if you do post to every network with the help of automation, you're not delivering a great experience tailored to that platform—and you're likely missing out on a lot of engagement. Instead, do your research to find a highly targeted market. Know who they are and understand their habits, wants & needs. You have to find where they are and spend time there, not in a hundred places where you desperately hope to stumble upon them. Mistake #2: Passive social presence A "build it and they will come" mentality does not work on today's internet. You can't just set up a website or social media page and hope to see customers eagerly interacting with your brand. First, you have to engage the audience. Responding to comments in a timely manner is a good place to start... but it's only a start. Come up with a content calendar and post on a regular basis. Talk to users and influencers, and ask them for opinions. Use your social presence to carry out customer service around the clock via instant messaging and other channels. Social media is about building lasting, meaningful connections that strengthen brand loyalty. You can't simply stuff your messages with hashtags and expect magic to happen. Mistake #3: Incoherent cross-channel strategy Rookie marketers tend to lose sight of the big picture and how coherent their messages appear across different channels. This is not the way to build strong credibility and inspire trust. Successful brand marketing is deeply rooted in consistency. This journey calls for much more than investing in a decent logo and slapping it everywhere you can. You will need to use elements like the color palette, fonts, visual identity, images, and voice to set the tone for your marketing campaigns. Tailor to the medium and the platform, of course—but never lose the integral pieces of your brand's identity. [Click to tweet ] Mistake #4: Overcommitting to digital Cost-effective digital platforms have unparalleled reach, but they are not be-all and end-all of brand marketing. Not everyone is tuned in to social media, apps and online search. Depending on your target market, you could work wonders with print collateral or merchandising. In other words, you can let human psychology work to your advantage and leave a lasting impression by giving away branded office supplies, quality printed shirts, and other handouts. Don't overlook the potential of printed media. You could reach a lot of people via brochures, business cards, flyers, newsletters, and other printed marketing materials. In the digital era, print is personal and memorable. Mistake #5: Going all-in on advertising Advertising is the mainstay of many marketing campaigns. However, it's generally a bad idea to put all your eggs in one basket-especially if you're a rookie who's worried about wasting your budget. What's more, people have grown weary of aggressive pop-ups & ads, even when they're targeted with laser-like precision. They install ad-blockers to completely shut them down. Instead, try to start small and set aside a limited ad budget. Test your campaigns over a course of few weeks and evaluate the results. Paid marketing works best when you prioritize ROI, so as you learn the ropes, gather data and scale your campaigns based on your insights. Mistake #6: Misunderstanding content marketing Viral marketing is one way to enter with a big bang, but directing all your efforts there is a double-edged sword. If you win, you win big. If you don't, you get nothing. You're probably better off crafting compelling, quality content on a consistent basis. Be entertaining, educational, and add value to people's lives. Once you start producing a stream of relevant content, you have to promote it. Bear in mind that you might not achieve immediate success. Don't cut corners, and show patience. It takes time to gain momentum and traction. In due time, your efforts will start to snowball via word-of-mouth and social signals. Mistake #7: Disregarding or copying the competition It always pays off to scope out the competition. Doing this homework will show you what works for them—and what doesn't. You gain valuable insights that help you set your brand apart. You should always keep an eye on what others are doing, but refrain from imitating them. Looking and feeling like another business stirs brand confusion and slows the development of your own reputation. Instead, being genuine is the best way to win people over and keep them in your camp. That being said, you can still borrow good ideas and implement them in your marketing strategy. Just make sure you're doing it in a way that's fresh and authentic to your brand. Key takeaway: Marketing success by design Effective marketing is hard to pull off. You have to put the right messages in the right place and serve it to the right people. Much easier said than done. There's a lot of ground to cover without losing your footing and plenty of tools to consider. Right away, put a sound strategy in place and let it guide your efforts across channels and platforms. Steer away from common mistakes that can bite off a big chunk of your budget and hinder your brand. Concentrate on turning curious visitors into prospects, prospects into customers, and customers into satisfied brand ambassadors. Want to know more about the power of brand consistency? Download our free 32-page report, chock full of stats & great insights.