Many people feel like their online marketing is not working.
You are determined to make it work…but often it is not working and then I get asked that common question I hear all the time…
“Why isn’t my marketing working?”
Soooo… here’s the thing. Most of the time, when people come to me with this question – and they often do – the reason can be traced back to three main culprits.
3 common reasons your marketing is not working is typically because you:
- Have something broken or missing with your marketing foundations.
- Post mainly “Random Acts of Content” on your social media channels.
- Are missing critical and strategic elements in your marketing content.
Almost every time I do an audit or assessment of someone’s online marketing – one of these items is the problem. So, let’s go into each one in a little more detail to help you understand why they are a problem.
1. Have something broken or missing with your marketing foundations.
What this one means is that within one of your 10 main online foundations something is not working. I have a list of these 10 foundations I am always looking at when assessing someone’s marketing. They include your website, blog (or podcast), email marketing system, lead magnet, lead generation page, thank you for getting my lead magnet page, email sequence, Social Media profiles, Analytics/tracking system, and a content marketing plan.
These foundations are key to connecting all the dots with your online marketing and ensuring they are effective – that they work.
As an example, if you post something on Facebook to tell people to get your lead magnet and the form on that page is broken – they won’t get the lead magnet and you missed a new lead.
That is a broken foundation.
If you don’t even have a stand alone page – a lead generation page – where you can send people to sign up for that lead magnet. Well…
That is a missing foundation.
Broken and missing foundations mean that your marketing efforts are wasted and a waste of time. (I have a checklist for looking at these and will share the link to that below.)
2. Post mainly “Random Acts of Content” on your social media channels.
Creating marketing content is not just writing words and sharing words online – those words need a purpose and goal – even if some of them are to just “connect with me.”
When you plan your marketing content you are planning for something to happen. You will think more strategically about this versus just posting random content.
Having a plan will make sure you post a good mix of content online that helps you build traffic, leads and your community.
You want your content to reach the right people, for the right reasons and in the right places. Jumping on Instagram or Facebook to post something random will not always do this.
Plan out your marketing content and your marketing activities that support your content. This does mean having an overall content marketing plan… which funny enough is one of your online marketing foundations too! Plan for results to happen!
Remember… Kevin Costner is the only one who can “Build it and they will come.” The rest of us have to do sales and marketing to make it happen!
3. Missing critical and strategic elements in your marketing content.
This is part of the planning process too and revolves around creating the content that works. That has an impact and makes things happen with your business. There are some easy ways do this, random ways and better ways that are strategic. Ways that make that content do its job of marketing your business online and reaching those prospects that are interested in what you offer.
Not only do I like to mix up the content I create for marketing but I also add sales elements in some, teaching elements in some and community elements too – all of these elements will help your marketing reach more people and build the traffic to your website and leads to your email marketing list – when you create that content effectively. This content converts to traffic, which converts to leads and you can then convert those leads into clients!
Now, you need to go do your own audit of your marketing and see if one of these issues may be your problem too.
Here is the Online Marketing Foundations checklist I mentioned that you can download and use it to review your own foundations to see if you can find what may be missing or broken for you.
Online Marketing with IMPACT so you Get Clients! My passion is helping to guide people just like you, dietitians, coaches and service based business owners, who are often frustrated with all the advice and ideas out there and all the wasted time spent on marketing that gets you nowhere. Check out all the free resources on my Pepper It Marketing website, especially this guide for Online and Content Marketing. I also offer several self-study training programs to help you get more traffic to your website, more leads on your email list so you can make More Sales!