Just as each business differs in its values, structure and operations, so does the effectiveness of each marketing strategy. Even though there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to this line of work, there are certainly some key things to incorporate, and some to avoid. Read on for four things to do, and four things to avoid: the digital marketing edition.
Understand Your Customers On a Deeper Level
“Know thyself” is the Greek aphorism once said to be inscribed at the ancient Temple of Apollo at Delphi. Still excellent advice, trickled down through the ages, and mighty applicable to the business world. Know your business, know your strengths and weaknesses, and absolutely know your audience: who are they exactly, what do they want, what are their pain points, and how are you going to improve their life? By knowing this, you can build a strong foundation with them that lasts for years–and in turn, you build your legacy.
A good understanding of your clients/customers is the key to establishing value. By truly understanding who they are, what core demographics they belong to, what they like and dislike and what their patterns are, you can create and organize content that has a much higher likelihood of resonating with them. Without this crucial knowledge of your customer profile, you can end up putting out content with no real intended target audience in mind… which is kind of like yelling out a message in English in a place where hardly anyone speaks it, and hoping someone will understand you.
Invest in getting to know people. You won’t regret it.
Come Up With Original Content
If you desire results, you must put in the work. That means actually sitting down to look at the numbers and analytics, and do any necessary research. Armed with this unique information (because no two audiences are alike; each one has its own characteristics), you can begin to craft an original message and content that truly connects with your base. Copying other people’s content is inauthentic and out of integrity, and many times, people are able to tell the difference between what’s real and what isn’t. It’s completely natural to be inspired by someone else’s work, but think hard about the qualities you want associated with your company and brand before passing off unoriginal content as your own!
Start a Company or Business Blog
We are a little biased with this one here, but for good reason: a blog dedicated to communicating directly to your base (and to the larger world) is vital in digital marketing, not only because it advertises your business ideals and original thoughts, but it is a platform that is not at the whim of a social media company. Social accounts can be disabled for vague reasons, and the last thing you want or need is to build your brand on a platform where everything can be gone in the blink of an eye. Think “online resiliency.”
(Active blogs also tell Google that your website is trustworthy and helps SEO. Check out our blog on How to Charm Google and Grow Your Organic Traffic.)
Expand Beyond a Single Digital Outlet or Platform
That brings us to our last point on the yes list: expand your online horizons. This comes back to resiliency once again, since a single digital outlet can be wiped out (or only reach a limited, specific demographic). With so many media outlets currently available, it’s best to diversify your online marketing efforts.
You can even take it a tad further and customize your content specific to the age brackets that use each platform (e.g., content for TikTok will be much different than Facebook).
Don’t Neglect Your Website
This one is the first up for a reason: outdated websites are one of the main reasons customers lose interest in a business, or exit out of the tab without taking action. In this day and age, you simply cannot afford to have an old, outdated website… or one that is confusing to navigate!
Your website is probably the most important aspect of your business, so invest in it wisely and consistently: update the latest product/service information, design an eye-catching layout, use appropriate colours, post as much necessary information as you can, and most importantly, maintain quality. Don’t post things just to post them–have an intention behind the information you share.
Don’t Overlook Video Content
Video content is king, and we are an increasingly mobile world. A staggering amount of businesses now use video content to reach their audience, which translates to video being one of, if not the most important part of most marketing strategies. It doesn’t have to be just paid ads, either: use videos to share how-tos, sneak peeks, product launches, going live, or to provide explanations to customers.
Don’t Choose Quantity Over Quality
This is especially evident with obtaining leads. It’s a common misconception that the more leads you receive the better, when in reality you might be receiving 50 leads a day that end up going nowhere and only serve to waste your valuable time as a business owner. Rather than chasing 50 low-quality leads, aim to start with 10 high-quality ones that actually provide a return on investment. The key is to create relevant, purposeful content that is curated to the exact type of customer or client that you desire, even if it takes more work to hone in on that person or deliver that content. It will be worth the investment of your time and energy to obtain quality over quantity!
Don’t Spam or Overshare
Sharing is essential in marketing, but sharing too many posts or sending too many emails in quick succession may not be a great strategy. Schedule your posts and emails so that they are coming through at a healthy pace. This comes back to what was mentioned above with the website: don’t post just to post–make sure it has valuable insight and messaging.
(Spamming/oversharing also runs the risk of alienating or boring your audience, which can result in losing email subscribers or receiving unfollows from genuine supporters of your brand. Consistency and relevancy are key.)
That’s all for today! For more digital marketing news, check out our previous blog Top 5 Most Valuable Marketing Skills in 2026!