4 Reasons Why Your Digital-Marketing Campaign Didn’t Perform

In my line of work, I talk to a lot of potential clients about their marketing goals, and lead and revenue generation are almost always part of the conversation. Even companies that have just come off a successful campaign want to know how they can do things a bit better the next time.

But what about those marketing initiatives that had lackluster performance, or just plain failed to get leads, let alone generate revenue? Following are four potential reasons why your digital campaign didn’t get the desired results:

1. Not enough expertise behind it. It’s tempting to save money by DIYing campaigns, especially on social platforms. LinkedIn, for example, lets you target your audience by industry, job title, geography, and more. It seems simple enough—select your audience, enter a budget, load your ad, and then…crickets. What went wrong?

It’s possible some expertise could have made a big difference in your success. Social strategists have spent time learning what makes campaigns most effective, including when to post and what to include in terms of messaging, visuals, and CTA. Importantly, A/B testing is performed to find the optimal mix of all the above.

Email marketing campaigns are similar in that anyone can send out a mass email, but not everyone understands best practices for getting that email past spam filters and opened and clicked on. Again, testing is a factor in learning what performs best, while segmenting your audience enables messages to be tailored for greatest appeal.

2. Marketing budget was stretched too far. While we’ve all heard the adage about not putting all your eggs in one basket, in marketing’s case it’s possible to spread yourself too thin by investing in multiple digital initiatives but not giving enough dollars to any one of them to gain much traction.

Unless your budget supports casting a wide net, it’s advisable to analyze where your target audience is spending most of their online time and focus your dollars and resources there.

Not to mention, marketing campaigns often require nurturing to educate and engage the prospect until they’re ready to buy. Nurturing also supports the longstanding marketing Rule of 7, so be sure your budget can support repeat outreach to leads if the goal is to transform them into revenue.

3. Pulled the plug too soon. Marketing campaigns can take time, something that many of us are short on, especially when investors or shareholders are looking over our shoulder and impatiently tapping their toes as they wait for results. Oftentimes, programs are halted too soon when success isn’t immediate, which is bad if your goal is brand awareness or thought leadership as these don’t happen overnight. While there are admittedly some things out of the marketer’s control, it can help if decision makers understand the long game and are provided with regular KPIs that show at least incremental growth.
4. Creative element is missing. Digital marketing got even hotter during the pandemic, when almost all B2B marketing moved online. But in our data-driven world ruled by automation and performance analytics, a simple truth can be forgotten: To rise above the noise of a crowded market, messages must speak to resolving real pain points and be delivered in a creative, engaging way. Even the most well-executed campaign will fall flat if the messaging component doesn’t shine and fails to appeal to prospects’ emotions.

To be certain, things aren’t as simple as they once were. There was a time when marketing choices were much more limited, such as placing a billboard by the interstate headed into the downtown where business professionals would see it or taking out an ad in an industry publication they read.

Such tactics still exist, of course, but the digital world has opened so many additional channels for reaching prospects. Still, the bottom line is that marketing campaigns of any type can falter without the right strategy, expertise—and yes, heart.

If you need assistance in ensuring the success of your next marketing campaign, we can help. Our team includes experienced strategists that run the gamut from social marketing to SEO, email marketing, drip campaigns, content development, and more.