7 ways to tank any marketing initiative

Why are marketing efforts so often terrible?

Sure, there are plenty of talented marketers who produce interesting campaigns that generate incredible results. They are exceptions, not the standard.

Don’t be offended.  We all have a learning journey full of potholes, mistakes and wrong turns.

In the hope that we can all avoid duds, stinkers, flops or full-blown crises, here are seven marketing pitfalls to avoid:

1. Not having a plan, objectives or focus. Can you imagine NASA launching a rocket without a meticulous plan in place?

Unfortunately, many marketers prefer to launch campaigns into orbit before establishing tangible objectives or meaningful goals. This is a great way to waste money, resources and time. It’s also a swift way to harm your credibility.

Campaigns should have a specific purpose and desired (measurable) outcomes. Just pumping out content isn’t a plan, and it’s not the right way to drive revenue.

2. Lacking audience focus. If you’re not tailoring your marketing to specific niche groups, you’re missing the boat.

Engaging the right people at the right time takes data modeling analysis, testing and no small amount of time. Using marketing automation tools to identify areas of interest can help focus campaigns for better results.