Digital Marketing Campaign – When your digital marketing campaign doesn’t go according to plan, it can be a hard pill to swallow. After all, you probably poured sweat (and tears) trying to iron out the details of your campaign. It’s even more heartbreaking when you don’t know where you went wrong.
If you’re scratching your head, trying to figure out where your marketing was lacking, we’ve got you covered. We’ve put together eight reasons why your marketing campaign isn’t working and provide tips on what you can do to avoid these pitfalls.
Table of Contents
Mistake #1: Poor Campaign Planning
Your digital marketing campaign likely didn’t succeed due to the lack of planning. In other words, there wasn’t any thought put into it. Remember that you can’t “wing it” in digital marketing, so you need to identify which activities fit into the overall scheme.
To do this, identify what your goals are. Do you want to grow your social media following? Do you want to get more people to purchase your products? Do you enjoy more website views? Figure this out first, and then you can start going through the nitty-gritty of your campaign.
Mistake #2: Wrong Digital Campaign
“Look, other brands are doing this. We should do it, too!” said the marketer, only to regret it.
This is a common scenario among businesses that want to be “on trend”, but end up failing miserably. In digital marketing, you must reach your customers through the right channel. For instance, if you’re in the gardening industry, your strategy should include social media, such as Instagram and Pinterest. You probably shouldn’t pour your budget on Google Ads to get customers.
Don’t be tempted to jump on the bandwagon because what worked for others probably won’t work for you. You should first find out where your target audience will get information.
Mistake #3: Messy Messaging
Your digital marketing campaign’s messaging should be on-brand. While you should strive to think outside the box, you shouldn’t expect your audience to get on board with messaging that’s too “out there”. Capture your brand through the clever use of colours, visuals, etc., or else customers won’t be able to associate the ad with your brand, regardless of how well-made it was.
Furthermore, if you choose a format that doesn’t fit your target demographic, you can bid goodbye to your campaign. Let’s say you’re selling teens’ toys, but your marketing materials look like they’re for a high-end fragrance. That type of marketing won’t speak to your customers.
This brings us to the fourth marketing mistake…
Mistake #4: Not Creating the Customer Persona
Do you know who you’re marketing to?
Many brands fail to identify their buyer persona because they think they know who it is. But what many marketers don’t understand is that it takes a lot of research to get to know their true persona, not guesswork.
When creating the customer persona, you’ll need to be detailed. What’s their life story? Where are they from? What do they do in their spare time? What are their pain points? Answering these can help you understand who you’re marketing to, so you can choose a marketing strategy that works.
Mistake #5: Right Campaign, Wrong Time
So, you’ve created an eye-catching campaign with a catchy slogan. The only problem is that you’re too early in your buyer’s journey. Your campaign would’ve been great if you only got the timing right.
For example, if your campaign’s goal is brand awareness, your digital ads shouldn’t push people into buying your products because they aren’t even aware that you exist. Similarly, if your buyers are aware of your brand, don’t waste your time telling them who you are — you’ve already done that! Instead, convince them why they should choose you over their competitors.
So, when is the “right time”?
To answer this, you’ll have to use tools such as Google Analytics to understand where your buyers are. Alternatively, you could hire a digital marketing company that covers analytics in its digital marketing services.
Mistake #6: Pulling the Trigger Too Early
Don’t give up on your campaign too early. As cliche as it sounds, success doesn’t happen overnight. When you don’t see the desired results, don’t be disheartened. Give it enough time to gain momentum. It typically takes 90 days (yes, that long) for a digital marketing campaign to make an impact. It would be best if you weren’t tempted to end the campaign because it’s off to a not-so-great start.
That’s why setting a timeline for your campaign goals is crucial. That way, you can decide whether or not you need to cancel the campaign. If success is unlikely, then you can hit the brakes.
Mistake #7: Marketing’s Not For Cheapskates
If digital marketing is only on the back burner, you will have difficulty reaching your goals. Digital marketing demands a reasonable budget. If you’re a cheapskate in marketing, you won’t get the results you want.
Let’s say you want to dip your toes into pay-per-click (PPC) marketing. You’ll need to bid on specific keywords to get a high click-through rate (CTR) to get your webpage to show up. You can’t hope for Google to put you in the results page’s top spot magically.
Mistake #8: Stressful Shopping
Your customers shouldn’t have to purchase your product from A to Z. Provide your customers with convenience. Even if your campaign gets everything right, your customers will likely click away if the buying process takes too long.
With that said, you should ensure that your website loads fast. Nearly 80% of website visitors leave when the loading time is too long, so check its speed regularly.
The Takeaway
To sum it up, your digital marketing campaign will likely fail if you don’t:
- Plan properly
- Choose the right campaign
- Consider your target demographic
- Create a customer persona
- Get the timing right
- Let the campaign gain traction
- Set aside a reasonable budget
- Offer stress-free shopping
By keeping these tips in mind, your digital marketing campaign can succeed. Remember, you can’t avoid failure, but you can prevent it from happening again.