Start a Google search with the words “why my marketing…,” and you will find several autocomplete options that are some variations of “why my marketing isn’t working.”

Why is that such a popular search? A lot of people think they’re marketing experts, and many business owners wear many hats, so the subject of “why my marketing isn’t working” is bound to come up for a large subsection of small business owners. 

Let’s talk about how to get your marketing working for you instead of you spending too much time working against your marketing. 

Why Marketing Campaigns Fail 

I’m not saying I repeat myself, but if there were a talking Mr. POP action figure,  I have a pretty good idea of what my common phrases would be. Obviously, our slogan, “Your friendly neighborhood marketer,” would have to be in there, along with “marketing is matchmaking” and “quality, quantity, consistency.” 

Another concept I bring up across many of my clients’ media is: you’re good at your job. Hire professionals for what you’re not as good at, or “You can’t be good at everything.”

The easiest way to fix the fact that your marketing is not generating leads is to hire a professional local marketing agency that knows what it’s doing. However, if you’re reading this, chances are you either want to do it on your own or you already hired someone, and you’re not happy with the results. 

So, let’s move on to troubleshooting. 

How Do I Know My Digital Marketing Is Not Working? 

Let’s start with something seemingly simple. 

What does “working” mean to you? 

Understanding the goal of your digital marketing is to know if it’s working. Without a goal, how do you measure meeting it? It’s the same thing good bosses and coaches tell the people they work with. 

I’ve written before about the purpose of a website. Guess what? It’s not always necessary to generate leads. 

For many, a website is primarily a way to prove your credibility. It doesn’t feel like you’re a real company if you don’t have a website. Other websites are built for scheduling and direct sales. 

Social media? Similar concept.

Your social media posts shouldn’t be salesy. If they are, you’ll turn people off, and they’ll stop looking at your social pages. Instead, they need to bring value to your followers. Your social pages are there to keep you top of mind and keep folks engaged, so when someone does need you, they think of you. 

In other words, if your social media and website aren’t generating leads, it doesn’t necessarily mean your digital marketing is not working. It may be doing just what it should be. That just isn’t generating leads. 

Ads? Now we’re talking about lead generation: the direct purpose of ads. So if your ad-based marketing is not generating leads, that’s a problem. Let’s talk about some of the common marketing mistakes people make with their ads. 

6 Possible Reasons Why My Marketing Isn’t Working

Too General – The Everything Buffet. All Food. Nothing Special!

If you try to be everything to everyone, you will likely end up being the right thing for no one, or at least your ad won’t reach your target audience. 

It’s important to be specific about both what makes you special and with whom you want to reach. Sending your ad out to too large a segment might increase your ad spend without increasing your results. 

The Mismatch Game: Best Burgers in Town – But You’re Talking to a Vegan

If you’re writing an ad to bring people to you, you must make sure that the audience you’re trying to appeal to is also your perfect customers. The example I always like to give is price vs. quality. 

If you’re not the cheapest in town but have the best product or service, emphasize that in your ad. Otherwise, you might get customers who don’t want to follow through with the purchase. 

Not Enough Ad Spend: Enough Said

It may be a cliché, but with advertising, it’s also true: You have to spend money to make money. 

When you make your daily ad spend too low, you may run out of money before your best customers ever have a chance to see your ad. 

Bad Ads: That Makes Me Not Want to Eat At All!

Maybe you have demographic information down pat, and you know what you want to say. That doesn’t mean you have a good ad. 

Bad ads sent to the right audience won’t have the desired effect!

Ad Worked, But They Didn’t Like What They Saw – Cool Ad. Place is a Dump!

Conversely, what if you have an amazing ad that gets lots of clicks but no sales? There are too many possibilities there. The first one is that once they got to your site, they didn’t like what they saw. 

Great ads won’t make up for an otherwise poor web presence. Not only do search engines charge you more clicks to send people to a bad site, but once those clickers get there, they’re less likely to purchase. 

Build your foundation before you paint your walls. 

What About Your Sales Team? 

Finally, your marketing might be perfect with a creative team and immaculate website, but marketing doesn’t close the deal; your salespeople do. 

Are you keeping track of your sales team? 

Even a hot lead needs a good closer – or the right marketer. 

Get A Good Marketing Plan for Your Business

Listen, the same ad strategy won’t work for every business. We’ve provided several pieces of general advice to get you started, but the truth is: the best ad strategy is based around your individual business needs and assets. 

POP gets to know your business and your ideal customer, then builds a strong foundation and eventual ad strategy so you never have to type,  “why my marketing isn’t working,” again. 

Call POP today for a free quote and a plan for your Roanoke business marketing!