Your Marketing Isn't Working Because You Are Guilty of These 5 Mistakes. Here's What You Should Do InsteadIf your marketing is not working, it is important to take action to address the problem.

ByKevin Kaminyar

Key Takeaways

  • If you aren't taking advantage of social media, you are falling behind.
  • Knowing your audience's needs and desires goes a long way in boosting your marketing efforts.

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

You're here because your marketing strategy is not working.

Every company depends on marketing to support growth. An effectivemarketing strategycan turn prospective leads into paying customers. Your business can be in tough shape if you don't have a predictive marketing sales model.

If you find yourself in this predicament, here are the five reasons why your marketing is not working.

1. You're not leveraging social media

Having an Instagram account for your business is not enough. Which social channels does your audience use the most? For example, young adults spend more time onTikTokthan on Facebook and Instagram combined.

Depending on yourtarget audience, you may also need to have a significant social media presence on LinkedIn, Twitter,Threadsand other platforms. If you're deciding which social media platforms to employ, consider your audience. In addition to raisingbrand recognitionamong current consumers, a good social media presence may also spark interest among new potential customers.

I typically recommend utilizing 2-3 social media platforms. Your social media content strategy should reflect your company's values, showcase customer testimonials, and promote products and services as needed.

The key to content marketing isauthenticityto the brand. For example, my company plants trees for every client we work with. It would be disingenuous for us to hop on trendy social causes just to show that we want to "do good."

Related:Beginner's Guide to Social Media Marketing

2. You're ignoring email marketing

86% of consumers would like to receive promotional emailsfrom companies they do business with at least monthly (with 15% preferring daily emails). The easiest approach to promote a sale, communicate upcoming events, or remarket to past clients is via email.

An average consumer receives 100 emails per day, so you must stand out!

Here's a guide we use for all of our clients:

  • Your design should be minimalistic, short & informative, and responsive (optimized for all screen sizes).
  • Use personalization as much as possible. This means first name, date of purchase, birthday, etc.
  • Subject lines contribute to 60% of open rates. You are competing against 99 other subject lines. A rule of thumb is that you don't want to be selling in the subject line. Your number 1 goal is to get an open.
  • Have a compelling offer! Your offer must be a no-brainer for an event or a product launch.

3. You don't know your audience

Your marketing communications must be directed to the appropriateaudience membersif you want your digital advertising strategy to be successful. Most marketers will tell you that it's very important to know who they are, how they live, what they like and what values are important to them. If you want to connect with your target audience and increase client happiness, you must have this information. Analytical methods can be used to identify the characteristics of your ideal customer.

我告诉你大多数营销人员不会:发现什么trigger events cause your customers to buy your product/service, and you'll know everything you need to know.

You can do this by setting up post-purchase surveys.

Related:6 Must-Do's for Effective Social Media Marketing

4. You're too salesy

In my ten years in marketing, I can unequivocally confirm that vulnerability drives the most engagement. Everyone dislikes being sold to.

The most common mistakesalespeoplemake is constantly trying to sell and upsell without showing who they are.

My favorite approach is what I call the commitment scale. You would never ask a potential partner to marry you on the first date because the probability of a positive outcome is zero to none. With time, more dates and gradual growth in the relationship, the likelihood of them saying yes to your marriage proposal goes up significantly. The same approach should be applied to marketing: show your values, the causes you care about, what inspires you and why you love what you do.

Build an authentic relationship with your audience, and you will have more sales than you know what to do with.

Related:How to Close Deals Without Coming Off as Salesy

5. You're expecting immediate results

We have a simple motto atYellow Tree Marketing: marketing is like growing a tree — the best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago, the second best time is today.

It takes time. Consistency is everything. You must have consistent and frequent encounters with your prospective and past customers to have traction.

We work a lot in political consulting, and one of the fundamental tenets is that it usually takes more than six interactions with a voter to persuade them to cast a ballot. Because of this, voters are inundated with messages during the political campaign season through several various platforms. Your marketing relies on the same idea. Your target market must be repeatedly reached. You must accomplish this using a variety of channels, including your website, social media sites, email, direct mail, radio, etc.

It typically takes 6-8 touch points to produce a sale. Don't give up. Staying consistent and results will show.

If your marketing is not working, it is important to take action to address the problem. By leveraging social media, optimizing email marketing, getting to know your audience, showing vulnerability and staying patient, you can build an effective marketing strategy that consistently generates sales.

Wavy Line
Kevin Kaminyar

Entrepreneur Leadership Network® Contributor

Founder & CEO @ Yellow Tree Marketing

Kevin Kaminyar is a marketing expert and a social activist with almost a decade of experience in marketing in the private, public, and nonprofit sectors. His company, Yellow Tree Marketing, 2022 Startup of the Year, is one of the highest recommended marketing agencies in the United States in 2023.

Editor's Pick

Related Topics

Business News

Kristen Bell and Dax Shepard's Family 'Stranded' at Boston Airport During 9-Hour Delay: 'We Made Quite a Home Here'

The actors spent $600 on pillows and blankets while waiting for their flight.

Money & Finance

Want to Become a Millionaire? Follow Warren Buffett's 4 Rules.

企业家是不能过度指狗万官方望太多a company exit for their eventual 'win.' Do this instead.

Business News

Netflix is Hiring an AI-Focused Role—and the Starting Salary is up to $900,000

The streaming giant is looking for a leader in its machine learning department.

Science & Technology

This Is the New ChatGPT Trend That Will Enhance Your Business

ChatGPT plugins are becoming the new cool trend among entrepreneurs to enhance their businesses and engage more customers. Here are some insights into how they're impacting business enterprises, along with some potential risks that may accompany the benefits.