6 Reasons Digital Marketing Didn’t Work For Your Business

It’s no secret that the amount of time spent online has grown exponentially since the internet first arrived back in the 80’s. It’s not showing signs of slowing down anytime soon. In fact, global Internet traffic is predicted to increase nearly threefold over the next five years. With so much traffic online and everyone vying for the same attention, it’s no wonder digital marketing is becoming a powerful asset for businesses large and small. But with so many options, figuring out what’s best for your campaign can be a daunting task.

How do you decide between Twitter or Facebook? What about Snapchat and Instagram? Why aren’t people sharing my posts? Why aren’t my followers buying my products? These are just some of the frustrations faced by many business owners as they navigate the ever-changing digital landscape.

Determining the likelihood of success can come down to a mixture of factors. From not understanding your audience to hiring the wrong person. So, to help you get the most out of your digital campaign we’ve put together a list of some the most common problems and how to fix them!

1. You Used An Amateur

Whether it be a new car or our weekly groceries, we are all on the lookout for the best value for money. But when it comes to your company’s brand and identity, keeping it in good hands is worth its weight in gold. The cost of hiring a Professional Marketing Consultant for your digital marketing may seem a little high on the outset, but it will ultimately save you more money in the long run.

The “Pro’s” get their name for a reason – they live and breathe this stuff. Unfortunately, when you hire anyone who is not an expert in their field, you could also be hiring inexperienced and unreliable people. While you may get lucky, more often than not this leads to mistakes, unfulfilled promises, lots of wasted money and precious, precious time.

There are many benefits of bringing an agency or consultant on board early in the process, one of which is their knowledge and use of the industry’s best practices – this includes keeping up with the latest trends and implementing strategies proven to work, everything from social to content marketing. By utilising the best tools and technology, they can track data, monitor accounts and so much more.

And like the adage “the poor man pays twice”, getting it done properly the first time round won’t only save you money, it will engage your audience in a way that is lasting and genuine. A poorly executed marketing strategy can have adverse effects on customer engagement and sales, however by doing it right the first time you’ll not only see your customer base grow but maintain a loyal following as well.

2. You Didn’t Test, Measure and Adjust [Enough]

While there’s no ‘one size fits all’ fix when it comes to digital marketing, what has been proven time and time again is the importance of testing and adjusting your campaign appropriately.

Well executed testing can not only help you identify what ads work, when combined with social media, pay per click and website analytics they can offer insights into who your audience is and in turn how to engage better, and maintain quality traffic in the long run.

One of the most common strategies for measuring audience engagement is the A/B Test, in which two or more versions of an ad or web page are compared against each other in a battle for supremacy. This form of measurement is a must for any business owner, and you can test most types of content with A/B testing from your online ads and emails to landing pages and more! Of course if you can test more than just two variants, that’s even better. The more ads and the more variations, the faster you get to that perfect formula.

3. You Didn’t Understand Your Target Market Well Enough

Understanding your target market is one of the fundamentals of marketing. It’s how you create lasting relationships and, in turn, loyal customers.

Depending on your market you may find that simple changes in your strategy are needed. What’s the point in posting on Facebook if your audience is on Snapchat? Or maybe you’ve been targeting the wrong age or gender? Perhaps your message isn’t quite hitting their pain points. All of these factors, down to where your target market lives, their beliefs, their pain, how they make a buying decision, can all dramatically change the likelihood of them clicking on your ad or buying your product.

As the saying goes “know your audience” – these days consumers have become more and more marketing-savvy, so they don’t want to be lumped in with everyone else. By aiming at a small market, you’re more likely to get a direct hit!

4. You Tried to Build A Following On Social Media Instead Of A Conversion Campaign

Having a large following on social media is undoubtedly a valuable asset for any business. They are powerful tools for getting your messages out and, most importantly, building relationships with your customers.

Unfortunately, having heaps of shares and likes doesn’t necessarily equate to actual sales – But why?!

Most likely you’ve been creating content that doesn’t drive sales. Finding a balance between creating posts that are funny and those solely about your products can be a hard task.

You should also include some well-targeted pay per click advertising to get in front of new people to begin with. Things like boosted posts or Twitter ads can be a great way to get new people to your content.

One thing to keep in mind when creating your posts is that no one goes on Facebook to look at products; they go there to read stories. Try creating stories that include what you offer, showing your audience interesting things to do or how to solve a problem with your products. Remember, a picture tells a thousand words, so get creative!

Offering a behind-the-scenes look at how your company operates or how your products are made is an excellent way to build trust. Show the people behind the brand. There’s a reason people love to go on winery tours; they enjoy learning about the story behind their products.

Finally, one of your most powerful weapons for creating conversions is through customer reviews. Fans are most interested in what their friends are saying, not what you’re saying. The best testimonials are those that show how someone has used your product/service or how it’s made their life better. Keep it simple, as those are the posts that will get the most click and shares.

5. You Went For Direct Sales Only Instead Of Working Through A Lifecycle Process

As the name suggests, the life-cycle process is about studying the whole customer journey in a cohesive way. Proposing an always-on approach to marketing, one that isn’t defined by any given campaign or channel.

First coined back in 2000 by Sterne and Cutler, they described the life-cycle process as:

• Claim someone’s attention.
• Bring them into your sphere of influence.
• Turn them into a registered and paying customer.
• Keep them as a customer.
• Turn them into a company advocate.

While definitions have morphed over time, almost all point to some form of personalisation and ongoing relationship, even if it is automatic. The lifecycle model is about focusing on the different stages of engagement that a customer might be in and targeting them accordingly. This can help with customer retention and lower the risk of driving them away with irrelevant content.

Understanding your target market is critical, because the easiest way to reach your target audience is simply to go where they go!

Simple right?

It might seem tempting to maintain your Adwords because “it worked great two years ago!” but have you seen increasing return lately? And, is anyone truly engaging with all those tweets? Perhaps Facebook isn’t delivering what you really hoped it would?

The bottom-line is if your target market isn’t there, no amount of money or ads is going to get the return on investment you need. They just simply don’t exist because your target market is looking elsewhere.

The best way to find the right channel is to go to the source and ask existing customers what they use. Create a simple customer survey, or use your social media channels to ask and you might find some interesting information that can help your next campaign.

As you can see, many factors may be contributing to a less than successful digital marketing campaign, even if your social media following is growing.

If we truly are living in an attention economy, it’s imperative to make every action count. A poorly executed plan can cost more than just money. Protect your brand for the future by investing in a long term plan and high return on investment. Know your audience, and everything else will follow.

Start by building the right team to lay a strong foundation, test your content and locate your audience. By understanding your market, you can personalise your engagement with them and in turn gather valuable lifelong customers who keep coming back.

If you would like to learn about improving your current digital marketing strategy, or would like to get started on a new campaign, contact us now for a chat.