5 mistakes to avoid while trading digital marketing route Touted as the future of marketing, digital marketing (DM) not only makes communication and marketing initiatives nearly real-time and more streamlined.

"I want you to do SEO for my business": Jumping directly into digital marketing (DM) channels (be it search engine optimization, pay-per-click, or social media) without analyzing the basics of marketing, and more importantly, business basics. There is a mix of digital marketing channels that will work for you but it should start with the following questions:

• What's the business metrics that we want to achieve, branding (percentage), organic (percentage), quick leads or business leads (percentage);
• What is the expected conversion ratio (visitor-to-lead, lead-to-sale and so on);
• How much re-engagement efforts are needed -- for businesses with repeat purchase and long buying cycles, it's the key to success.

Misplaced focus: Business owners are too focused on explaining their team on what to post, how much budget to allocate and so on, and less on business metrics and marketing documents. As a top-level metrics owner, you must prepare the business document keeping digital in mind.

Wrong affiliations: Wrong person, wrong agency or wrong team. Often, we see companies hiring people who speak some part of digital, and who only end up as an interference with their limited understanding of digital. Often, companies feel a two- to three-member team can take care of digital.

The reality -- you need nearly 12-plus different skills to come together to make it work. Getting it right with weekly meeting, right dashboard is important. Even agencies like ours hire consultants to keep adding new know-how to the system

Don't expect a readymade team or agency -- select one that has its base correct and build on top of that. Take control of dashboard, weekly meetings and roadmap. Don't leave it entirely to the agency; you need to chip in with business knowledge and strike the right balance.

Budget your DM: We have seen companies spending too much money on one day for roadblock ads, and then not having funds for hygiene ads. We have seen companies spend three to five hours on a FB post (and hiring external agencies) and not having enough funds to boost it.

Without boosting, the post fades out, whereas a good post with a good boost can do wonders. Don't spend on vanity metrics such as fan base or traffic. Instead, spend on right traffic, conversions, brand recall and so on. Start slow, understand the RoI and accelerate. Have both, a short-term and a long-term roadmap.

Not ready yet?: Being the best offline doesn't make you the best online, too. Understand digital behavior and work out details for paid ads (lead-to-offline conversion ratio, end-to-end tracking), organic growth (referral tracking system, content plan for SEO, user-to-user growth system), and branding (campaign following up, keeping your content series in place) with your agency.

If startups are the David, digital marketing can become their slingshot. Take aim!

(As told to Prerna Raturi)