This week, I came across two things that wowed me — and not in a good way. They are digital marketing mistakes that real people are making right now. Don’t make these mistakes!

Mistake #1. Don’t post to social media — and then leave

Looking at a potential client’s social media platforms, I noticed they were very good about posting regularly. The posts were well-written and relevant. However, I discovered that on one platform, the client had responded to only two other posts in the past four years! It’s no wonder they had so few followers.

Being on social media is important for your digital marketing efforts. But posting material and leaving it at that does almost nothing for you. Take time to be engaged in your industry. Like and comment on posts related to what you do. If someone comments on your post, respond. Repost other people’s content when it’s relevant to your audience. That’s what puts the “social” in social media.

Related tip: Make sure the social media icons that link to your accounts are at the top of your website. Another thing I saw this week was an organization had an excellent Instagram account, but no Instagram icon or link anywhere on their website! If you put the icons at the bottom of your website, well, many people just won’t scroll down that far. (And don’t get me started on those websites that continually fill additional content to the bottom of the page once you get there — then you NEVER get to the bottom, where the typical links for About, Contact Us, Terms and Conditions, etc. tend to be.)

Mistake #2. Don’t NOT promote your content

This tip comes out of a discussion with an acquaintance who was concerned about a client who is paying them to create content. The client didn’t want to continue the work because the content wasn’t improving business. However, my acquaintance said the client did nothing to promote the content!

If you’re spending time and money to create content, you owe it to your efforts to promote it. Post your content to social media and share it with your email subscribers. Even web content that is created with SEO techniques will benefit from sharing. Don’t just wait for search engines to rank your site.

Related tip: Make sure your website is on everything connected to your business or organization — social media platforms and ads, of course, but also business cards and anything else you physically give to your customers. Make it easy for people to find you online.

These two digital marketing mistakes are simple to fix and don’t require much effort — but they might take some planning and a bit of time. If you’re looking for help with your website content or social media, just send me a message if you’d like to discuss your digital presence and how I could enhance it.