Reasons Why Most Marketing Fails

Week in and week out we get calls or emails from people who tell us that their marketing is just not working.  They spend tons of time trying to decide whether or not to spend money on Facebook, LinkedIn, the yellow pages, postcards, even television.  What they end up with is overwhelm and frustration and a feeling that nothing is working for them.  This is because they lack focus in their marketing efforts and have not developed a plan that is right for their audience.  Not every medium of advertising or marketing is right for your target market.

A reason for failure most don’t talk about

There are several reasons why most marketing fails but I am going to talk about one that you may or may not have considered.  What is this reason?  It’s called “consistency.”

What do I mean?  Most business owners fail at marketing their business because they are inconsistent in the way the market it.  They have no plan in place or roadmap with which to follow to a desired result.  Sometimes they develop a plan and spend much of their time chasing rabbits rather than staying on course.  When you talk to them about having a plan, they tell you they have one but what they don’t say is they have taken no action steps to put it in motion.  It’s always just pie in the sky so to say.

Another thing they do that contributes to this inconsistency is they don’t commit a budget to their plan.  It’s either non-existent or minuscule at best.  Time and time again we have people who need help and their business is in the “emergency room” so to say and all they are doing is trying to figure out the least they can do to stay alive and operating.  This is a terrible mindset and it contributes to their failure.

You need to understand that marketing cost money and you get what you pay for.  Let me give it to you in everyday terms. If you had $5000 to spend on a new car, could you get a car worth $25000.  Of course not.  I know you think that is silly but that is what most people do in approaching a budget for marketing.  They think they can spend cheap car money and get Rolls Royce results.  You are in a dream land if you think that.

Get a consistent plan and work that plan to a successful result

Many business owners don’t give their marketing time to work.  Instant gratification has made it’s way into the world of marketing just like it has with food.  We want to throw it in the microwave, heat it up and start eating right away.  The problem with instant gratification is that it heats up and eats up your marketing efforts without any return on investment which makes you bitter and resistant.  This has to change.

We tell our clients that in order to get the best results they consistent work and effort across the platforms that reach their target audience over the long haul.  The web is changing and evolving all the time and if you are only thinking 6 months at a time or even a year at a time, you are setting yourself up for failure.  That’s why you need a marketing budget that has enough padding in it that when changes come and adjustments have to be made, you are not caught off guard and have budget short falls.

Developing a consistent message

Mixed message marketing will land you in a mess.  I see people trying to market their businesses and the reason it is failing is because the message is off topic to their target market.  If you are trying to build your dental practice and you want to get more veneer cases, then your message needs to be consistent to the pain and problems those who would need veneers have.  You would need to develop content that speaks to that market and then have them land on pages on your website that deal with those issues and are free from the clutter of other practice areas.  Your marketing has to keep your audience on topic in order to build awareness in their mind that will get them to take action.

Developing a consistent message begins with and understanding of your audience.  Who they are and what they want.  What do they spend and how much?  Are they predominately men or women and how old?  This is called a buyer persona… a detailed description of your perfect client.  When you write these things down and get a clear picture in your mind of your perfect client, then a message will develop out of that research that will cause conversation with that perfect client.

Consistency in your marketing will produce consistent results.  It will get you off the roller coaster ride of frustration and overwhelm by painting a clear picture of where you want to be and the outcome you desire.