Your brand is the lifeblood of your organization. It’s what sets you apart from your competitors and enables you to command respect and demand attention.
Without a doubt, marketing is essential for any business – it’s how you get in front of potential customers and entice them with your offerings. It can be a challenge finding just the right strategy that will yield results while also not relying too heavily on financial resources or personnel.
For many businesses, marketing has become a complex process that requires an array of measurements as well as various strategies and plans. This makes it difficult for organizations to determine which approach works best for their brand; consequently resulting in lackluster results!
With over 21 billion searches made each year on Google alone, marketers have never been more inundated with options when it comes to choosing keywords that could potentially boost their search engine rankings. However, there are still numerous instances where this particular endeavor fails miserably leaving brands unable attainable success levels!
1. You Don’t Know What Your Customers Really Want
How can you expect to hit upon a winning strategy if you don’t even know your prospective customer like an old friend? That’s why it’s imperative that you take the time to learn what makes them tick.
Are they passionate about travel? Business? Fitness? Foodie lifestyle? These are just a few of the myriad ways in which individuals categorize themselves; and their life experiences undoubtedly shape their perceptions of brands as well.
On one hand, those who are less knowledgeable tend to be more open-minded when it comes to talking with potential vendors – so, exploit this advantage and leverage social media channels for engaging conversations with customers!
By making use of modern tools such as surveys and quizzes, businesses have an ample opportunity to gauge consumer opinions and gain insights into what drives people toward certain products or services.
2. You’re Not Tracking Your Key Stats
If you want to maximize your effectiveness and success, it’s imperative that you track the various metrics of your business.
Unfortunately, many companies fail to comprehend what constitutes a valid marketing strategy. Consequently, they leave it solely up to their in-house team to devise one – an effort that typically ends in failure!
No matter how large or small your enterprise may be, it is critical to keep tabs on key metrics such as website traffic, social media interactions and lead generation. Armed with this information, you will have the ability to gauge performance and adjust accordingly; which can ultimately help yield success!
3. You’re Not Following the Law of Large Numbers
It may be easy to assume that, with the proper perseverance and effort, any project could transcend its obstacles. But in reality, this is not always the case!
For instance, if you distribute your marketing messages primarily via social media -like a majority of businesses do today- then achieving astronomical levels of success could prove an insurmountable task. This is due to the fact that users are exposed to multiple posts from different brands during their daily routine; eventually leading them to perceive them all as being equally relevant (and therefore unhelpful).
With the accumulation of numerous brands vying for recognition in one’s stream of consciousness, it has become quite challenging to distinguish between which ones are ultimately worth following. Such difficulties inevitably lead users towards indifference and apathy – thus impairing trust in any given brand message.
4. You Don’t Have an SEO Plan
If your online presence lacks the essential SEO strategies needed to maximize visibility, then you’re hindering potential traffic – which could lead to a decrease in conversions.
SEO is a must for any business that wants to gain traction on the web. If ignored, it could result in an insurmountable obstacle that contributes towards diminished brand recognition.
Align your marketing efforts with SEO’s core principles: relevance, authority and consistency. In addition, ensure that your content remains up-to-date with regards to meta data (e.g. title tags); keywords; URLs and alt-tags – all of which provide substantial value towards increasing search engine rankings!
5. You Can’t Measure the Influence of Your Storytellers
When you are conversing with people, don’t be afraid to leverage the power of storytelling. The core of your marketing strategy lies in how your brand’s stories are conveyed.
For instance, if you’re an insurance provider and want to convey a more personable side of your company, then having an owner share a personal anecdote about purchasing their policy could be a marvelous way to go! If it’s possible – rather than solely relying on statistics – providing testimonials can really amplify your efforts at building rapport with potential customers and demonstrating why they should choose your brand over any other.
6. You Haven’t Figured Out a Plan to Get New Customers
The art of prospecting is essential for businesses seeking new clients. Without a clear plan in place for customer acquisition, it’s impossible to predict where your business will get new customers from and how much revenue it will generate.
For example, if you were a wine-maker seeking out new opportunities for growth, you might lean towards offline channels like caterers or distributorships. Alternatively – or additionally – you could try pitching your product on social media or even create an online ad campaign with Google Ads.
Pro tip: Invest the time upfront in planning your customer acquisition strategy.
7. You’ve Been Doing Things the Same Way for Too Long
Are you weary of your marketing plan? Are you the proprietor of a business that’s been doing things in an all-too-familiar manner for quite some time now? If so, it might be time to reconsider the efficacy of such practices.
If it’s any consolation, the world has undergone significant change since the first century ad; businesses need to adapt as well. Even if your marketing strategy has not changed at all over the years, your customers’ needs may have evolved significantly – requiring adjustments along the way!
Furthermore, as a means of assessing how successful your efforts have been thus far, it is wise to consider periodic evaluations alongside regular reassessments. This will enable businesses to identify strengths and weaknesses within their ongoing programs, which can lead to enhanced efficiency and ultimately greater chances of success!
8. You Haven’t Figured Out a Strategy to Get Past the Doorkeeper
If you’re not conversing with the decision-maker, chances are you can’t expect them to hand over access to their database.
Ensure that your marketing strategy is congruent with the business objectives of each individual: Compose a customized proposal tailored towards their exact requirements and needs.
In the absence of an effective sales funnel, doorkeepers can be quite formidable; they must first be convinced before they succumb to any requests or demands from customers. Don’t let this obstacle stand in the way of progress!
9. You Don’t Have a Content Strategy
If you don’t have a robust content marketing strategy in place, then your online presence will be all but worthless.
By crafting an effective content strategy for your brand, you’ll be able to harness the power of social media, blogs, podcasts and more as channels for growing awareness and generating leads.
With a plan in place, you can ensure that you’re producing compelling value-add content on a frequent basis – which helps generate audience trust and increase engagement with your products or services.
10. You Don’t Have an Email Marketing Strategy
Our last reason is perhaps the most obvious: your email list is vital to the success of any marketing strategy.
Why? Because those within it are likely to have a vested interest in your offerings and therefore more likely to give them a try!
Nevertheless, businesses neglecting to update their email lists with fresh potential customers can miss out on valuable leads.
Nonetheless, businesses neglecting to update their email lists with fresh potential customers can miss out on valuable leads.
Don’t leave this part of your business digital marketing plan out of sight; ensure that all relevant contacts are kept up-to-date concerning special offers and promotions as well as product updates!
11: You Don’t Have Any Social Media Marketing Strategy at All
If your business does not have a social media marketing strategy in place, it can be difficult for them to stay relevant in the eyes of potential customers.
Social media is an integral part of any successful marketing campaign; however, you cannot neglect its importance if your enterprise does not have one.
The truth is that many businesses devote an inordinate amount of resources toward establishing their presence on these platforms – only then do they realize that such efforts are futile.
Conclusion
Give your brand the kick in the pants it needs! Don’t be overawed by the magnitude of your assignment; instead, embrace it with confidence and get to work!
