Unsuccessfulmarketing efforts can be incredibly frustrating. If you’re not reaching your marketing goals, your entire company can suffer—but pinpointing the problem isn’t always easy. If you’re unable to find the source of your promotional woes, you can’t make the appropriate changes to improve your results.
Marketing mistakes can happen in a number of areas. However, there are certain issues that can hurt the foundation of your strategy, throwing your entire plan off kilter. In order to get back on track, you need to take a long hard look at the core components of your strategy, including your marketing team, your budget, and the channels you’re using.
To help you create a plan that better reaches your target audience members, we’ll reveal three mistakes you may be making and what you can do to fix them. Let’s get started!
Having young marketers on your team can bring a fresh perspective to traditional techniques and strategies. However, without the balance of more experienced marketers, your campaigns may not run smoothly.
Ideally, a marketing team should have a mix of different experience levels, like that of Canpotex. Members who are new to the field can offer a different approach and insight into newer concepts such as the latest social media platforms. On the other hand, more experienced employees have tried and tested various methods, limiting the need for entry-level marketers to experiment on the company’s dime.
Although more senior staff typically demand a higher salary, the extra money can save you time and resources in areas like training. These people also act as mentors to entry-level employees, helping them understand the intricacies and nuances of marketing within your specific industry.
You may have the best product, an incredible team, and a budget that enables you to run all your campaigns without breaking the bank. However, none of that will matter if you’re not marketing to the right target audience.
Many companies make the mistake of trying to attract everyone as a potential customer. They feel that pinpointing their target audience cuts off potential clients. While creating a marketing plan centered around a specific demographic’s needs or preferences may shut off some individuals from your business, it will actually help you attract more high-quality leads.
When you clearly define your target audience, it’s much easier to create the specific content they’re looking for. You can research their unique desires and what problems they’re trying to solve, then create content that speaks directly to them. When they’re able to connect with you on a stronger, more personal level, they’ll be more likely to purchase from you. To help you determine exactly who your ideal customer is, you can create a buyer persona.
Many companies expect to see results without spending a lot of money. It’s true that it is possible to get your name out there without putting a lot of money in. However, it’s going to be difficult to take a customer all the way through the buyer’s journey without spending anything at all.
Creating an accurate and realistic budget is crucial for success. If your team doesn’t have the means to reach the marketing targets you’ve established, they’re being set up for failure—hurting your company in more ways than one. Giving them an appropriate figure to work with can relieve pressure to reach unattainable goals.
Your marketing budget needs to consider the many different ways you might promote your business online. This includes everything from the cost of outsourcing content to the fees needed to keep your website up and running. You’ll want to consider your budget for paid advertisements, but also for additional tech costs like email automation tools.
When creating a marketing budget from scratch, a good place to begin is by looking to your competitors. Consider where they’re spending money, and try to determine how much they’re putting into each area. Once you start spending money on your marketing, track and monitor how far your dollars are going and how many leads they’re bringing in. This can help you determine which pathways are the best for your budget, which may need tweaking, and which can be dropped altogether.
The members of your target audience hang out all over the web. If you’re only using one marketing channel, you’re running the risk of only attracting a fraction of the individuals who may be interested in your products or services. Aside from narrowing your reach, you’re also limiting the number of times each audience member is exposed to your brand.
The above example of an email marketing message from Buffer is just one component of their marketing strategy. They also have a strong social media presence, a solid content strategy, pay-per-click campaigns, and more. When creating a multi-channel marketing strategy, you need to consider how each channel fits with the others. The components should come together in one cohesive plan.
Consider who you’re trying to attract, what information they may be looking for, and how they use the internet. When you consider the needs of your target audience, you can find the right channels to capture their attention. This is another area where you may benefit from checking out your competition. Because you share a target audience, looking at the ways they promote their business can help you develop a foundation for your marketing.
If mistakes are made during the early stages of your marketing plan, it’s unlikely you’ll get the results you’re after. In order to improve your strategy and attract better clients and customers, you need to eliminate potential blunders as early as possible.
Let’s recap the four common mistakes that may be sabotaging your marketing from the very beginning:
Which of these mistakes do you think might be hurting your marketing? Let us know in the comments section below!
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