In today’s world we have access to a plethora of tools for improving marketing techniques, but these tools are essentially ineffective without first mastering the basics.

Some marketers are pouring money into the budget but aren’t seeing the ROI they expected. Now what? Go back to what’s important and start there.

If you’re making one of the below mistakes, it may be time to rethink your marketing strategy.

1. Trying to reach everyone

The single most important thing about marketing is to know your target audience. Spending time trying to reach anyone that will bite isn’t the best way to generate leads and make sales because you may not even reach the people that are most interested in what you are selling. Spend the time to determine your target audience and learn exactly how they want to receive your messages.

A good place to start is with a survey that you can utilize to discover the answers to your questions. Ask how they want to be reached, what they want to read and what you can create for them that doesn’t yet exist.

2. Forgetting about your competitors

They’re not your enemy but they aren’t your best friends either. You don’t want to put your company in a position where you are copying everything your competitors are doing. Instead, use competitors as your ‘out of the box’ inspiration. Elevate your marketing efforts by being different from the rest.

3. Failing to utilize a social media strategy

Social media exists and is useful for getting your brand recognized. In utilizing social media it’s imperative to deliver valuable, useful information. Sure, you may think your products are awesome—and they probably are—but your readers want information that they care about and can apply to their lives, jobs or other areas.

In utilizing social media strategy correctly it is also key to focus on the right social media channels. If your target audience isn’t on Instagram, maybe you shouldn’t spend budget there. Instead, focus on the outlet(s) where your customers are active. Take advantage of guest blogging, and inject your messages into the conversation rather than creating your own conversation every time.

While there are many more components to creating a successful marketing strategy, these three areas are places you can start. Reevaluate what’s working and what isn’t and rethink what you can do to shake it up!