After assessing many failed marketing campaigns, we have found that they are characterized by a few common mistakes. These are the reasons that many companies are moving away from their organizational goals rather than approaching them. It can be concluded that the five items that follow are by far the most common reasons why online marketing fails.
1.SETTING AMBIGUOUS AND VAGUE GOALS:
“Our competitors are on Facebook, so we need to be, too” is not a reason to initiate a social media campaign. Increasing website traffic or getting more leads are all examples of ill-defined goals. Wonder what qualifies to be a well-defined raison d’être (goal)?. A well-planned deliberate and sustained effort specific, time-sensitive, measurable and meaningful. For example, “We want to increase the SEO-generated validated website leads by 20% over the next 18 months.”
2. EMPHASIZING THE WRONG METRICS:
Now, just because a goal is measurable doesn’t mean it’s meaningful. Sometimes the companies state a wrong target intended to achieve by a plan that is meticulously chalked out. Here are the most common culprits:
- Rankings: – In SEO, rankings used to mean a lot in earlier times. Now they mean very little, because every Google search engine user sees different results. There is hardly a positive correlation between rankings and revenue. Also, if you rank well for a term that nobody searches for, it’s a mere waste of money.
Traffic: – More traffic to a website doesn’t usually mean that it generates more yields and increase revenues manifold. It is as simple as reach v/s access to the internet or circulation v/s readership of a newspaper. The right message, to the right consumer, in a right medium and at a right time is a mantra for a successful online marketing campaign. If your website does a poor job of selling your wares, increased traffic can do more harm than good by turning off potential customers. Technological snag and designing flaws could add fuel to fire. The basic job of an ideal website is to impressing prospective buyers and also harnessing their perception towards your company.
3.UNORGANIZED CAMPAIGN TESTING:
Only a coherent and orderly testing of various campaigning elements can certify more fruitful and efficient results. Campaigning elements range from content, offers, images, keywords, etc. But testing cannot be whimsical and mercurial; it must be coherent, methodical and properly executed. If a company uses poor testing methods, it’s silently shedding tears in front of a blind. If a company doesn’t test at all, it’s like bawl in front of a rock.
4.RELUCTANCE TO EXPERIMENT:
Many campaigns do not accept change and are unwilling to try new things and adopt a very obsolete and old-fashion approach. However, the chances of your campaign to be a successful one increases with novelty, creativity and out-of-the-box publicity ideas. Smart companies don’t merely dabble in new marketing methods; they instead systematically budget, deploy resources, and evaluate results.
5.UNDER-BUDGETING CAMPAIGNS:
A common Internet marketing horror story is companies that lose ground — major chunks of territory — to competitors by trying to squeeze something out of nothing. The temptation to get something for nothing is always alluring. A proper SEO campaign should gain momentum over time; with underfunding, the opposite occurs. However, it doesn’t mean allocating unnecessary funds to E-marketing. It should be optimally determined.
However, online marketing does not sync with the concept of “one size fits all”. All the campaign’s design, structure and execution differ on the basis of:
- How competitive your niche is?
- How many keywords should be targeted?
- The SEO-readiness of your website
- The quality of your existing link profile
- The aggressiveness of your campaign goals.
How does your company score?
Are you already an excellent market player? Or are you still a learner and trying to resolve the issues addressed to leave behind your competitor? Or you are just at an “abc” beginner level of E-Marketing?