Your product is top-notch. Your branding is on point. Your team is set up for success. Your current customer pool seems satisfied. But are you really getting the desired traffic to your website, store, or platform? Ultimately, it’s about converting that traffic into loyal customers and driving sales. It might be time to ask if you’re getting the most out of your marketing strategy.
If you feel that what you’re planning is outdated or flat, then it probably is. Knowing when to adjust and pivot your strategy is an important part of marketing. What works well one day is not guaranteed to work well the next. And following your competitors’ tactics will confuse buyers in distinguishing your brand from the rest of the pack.
A refreshed, updated marketing plan helps ensure that you’re attracting new customers and increasing your brand loyalty. It also allows you to tap into new platforms and technologies, staying abreast of trends. Chances are, if you’re reading this article then you’re looking to update your marketing plans. Here are three signs that now is the time to make a change.
1. There’s No Clear Direction or Plan
Your marketing efforts are only as good as your strategy. Without a sense of direction, your team doesn’t know what levers to pull and when. One marketing director may be focused on leads while another may be thinking about brand recognition. While these two objectives are related, how to achieve each one is different.
A marketing plan is essentially your roadmap, a well-organized outline of your overall strategy. It includes your company’s goals, key performance indicators, and methodologies. Each of your tactics should ladder up to your goals. For instance, native advertising, or the use of content-driven ads to engage users, can help with the goal of product education. Social media influencer partnerships can boost brand visibility and recognition among your target audience.
Besides being more efficient with your strategy, a plan also ensures that you use your marketing dollars wisely. Investing in various strategies that don’t work together is largely a waste of time and money. At the end of the year, you’ll be wondering where your budget went and if it really made an impact. Instead, create a plan that is rooted in your business’s goals and highlight how each expense is going to make a difference. Doing this exercise for each marketing tactic ensures you’re staying on track and spending your budget wisely.
2. You’re Not Generating the Right Kind of Leads
Another sign that it’s time to update your marketing strategy is that you’re not generating the right kind of leads. Even if you’re getting clicks, you may see that these users are not converting into customers. In this case, you need to discern when and why the leads are dropping off. For example, if users are directed to your site’s landing page they may be less inclined to purchase. Changing the destination to a product page with a clear “buy now button” may be more convincing.
Another reason you may not be converting clicks to leads is that you’re not targeting the right audience. If someone sees your ad and isn’t interested in your product, they will move on. Or, if they see the price and are sticker shocked, then you aren’t necessarily reaching the right demographic.
Noticing any of this is a sign to step back and reassess your lead generation strategy. Perhaps you need to focus more on brand recognition and education. It takes time for users to trust you, and the more they hear and see about the brand, the more quickly you’ll establish this trust. Be wary, however, of coming on too strong or too salesy. There’s a fine line between providing valuable, but persuasive, information to consumers and being too pushy.
3. Your Website Traffic is Stagnant
In today’s digital-first world, your site is your gateway to sales. Individuals come to your site to learn about your offerings, get a sense of who you are, and potentially make a purchase. Your site should include comprehensive information on your products and services as well as supporting content.
If you notice that your traffic is stagnant, then it’s time to rethink your strategy. Prioritizing your SEO efforts is typically a good place to start. Writing on keywords that align with your brand directly can help boost your rankings in SERP. Use a variety of short and long-tail keywords, ones that match your brand’s context. Also, look at what your competitors are writing on and see if there are any gaps that you can fill.
Related to this, your content must be up-to-date and updated regularly. Refreshing your content regularly will help boost your search rankings. It’s also more valuable to consumers, who are looking for information that is accurate and reliable. Producing a variety of content, such as blog posts, videos, infographics, and even podcasts, can also boost your site traffic. To extend the life cycle of your media, a tool like ArticleX can help by repurposing content with AI.
Conclusion
Regardless of where your marketing plan is today, know that there is always room for improvement. Your strategy should be working for you, not against you. It should evolve as your business and your targeted audience evolves. Be open to testing new things and changing up what you’re currently doing for optimal performance.
Angela Spearman is a journalist at EzineMark who enjoys writing about the latest trending technology and business news.
