It can be difficult to navigate the digital marketing world. The internet and its technologies are constantly growing, which means you need to grow with it or get left in the dust.

So how can you keep up with changing trends and strategies in the internet marketing industry? The first step is to listen to experts and industry leaders.

People like Jurgen Cautreels have made a career out of planning and executing innovative internet marketing strategies for growing businesses. We landed an interview with Jurgen Cautreels and asked him what mistakes to avoid when creating digital marketing strategies.

This is what he had to say:

Jurgen, do you think businesses are utilizing every social media platform at their disposal? Or are there some underutilized platforms out there?

Jurgen Cautreels: I personally do not believe that businesses are utilizing Discord enough. You can create Discord servers and communities, which allows your target audience to mingle and discuss.

It also allows you to engage with them and establish yourself as a community leader in your industry. I believe many businesses are focusing too much on Youtube, for example, and not enough on Discord.

But it all depends on your target audience and where they like to hang out.

You mentioned prioritizing Discord over Youtube. Can you expand on prioritization when it comes to social media?

Jurgen Cautreels: Sure, it’s funny you mention that because it’s another mistake I see many businesses making. Many businesses will focus the same amount of effort on every platform.

However, this is a huge mistake. If only 10% of your audience is on Twitter, and 90% on Facebook, then you shouldn’t focus the same efforts on each. It’s important to know your audience and where they mingle the most.

Focus your efforts there first and other places second.

How can businesses brand themselves across every platform? Should their brand be the same everywhere?

Jurgen Cautreels: Yes and no. Businesses should have a brand and a personality. However, they need to mold this brand to each platform.

Reddit, for example, has a very particular sense of humor. They have inside jokes and ways of talking. You should research these things so that when you make a Reddit post, you’re going to blend in. The same goes for Tumblr, Instagram, and everywhere else.

So that takes care of branding, but what about the actual posts? Should we just copy/paste posts between platforms?

Jurgen: No, absolutely not. I mean, you could, but you’re not going to see the conversions you’d like.

Social media platforms are for different things. Instagram could be used to show your products off in videos and images. Reddit and Twitter should be used to engage with your audience. Facebook is a mixed bag, and the list goes on and on.

Customizing your approach by using different social media platforms is one of the ways you can elevate your digital marketing strategy.

How much should companies advertise versus engage with their audience?

Jurgen: No one likes to stand on a corner and have someone should sell in their face, right? So you need to keep your “in your face” advertising to a minimum.

On Instagram, for example, you want to have a nice variety of pictures and videos. And this content should show more than just pictures and videos of your product. Show your team having dinner. Show your building and office space.

Have videos of customers enjoying your product. You want to post content that will make people visit your page and discover your company. Simply posting “Hey, come buy this for this price” isn’t going to do that for most people. Bring them in first, sell to them second.