Over the last several years, we’ve worked with a number of different businesses, analyzing what makes some so effective, while others struggle to gain new customers. It’s hard to watch honest businesses not gain the traction they should. There could be many reasons outside of marketing as to why this is the case:

• • The strength of the product or service
  • The buying cycle of the industry they’re in
  • The resources provided by the owner or CEO
  • The quality of the sales team, etc.

And any number of other factors (such as luck and timing) that could contribute to an overall lack of interest from potential customers. But for our purposes here, let’s focus on the marketing-related issues we see at many companies that seem to struggle more than succeed. If that’s you, here are some reasons you may not be getting new customers in the door with your promotion efforts.

No. 1: You Have No Marketing Strategy

A lot of companies we know either don’t think about the marketing funnel or consider the ways to engage customers before asking them to buy something. In other words, there’s no strategy involved. And much of the messaging comes across as “OK, we have a product, now come buy it.” And certainly, we can understand this sentiment. Every business wants customers to buy immediately if they can. But that’s not really the reality. The truth is, companies that can establish their brand and become top-of-mind are always better positioned to sell than companies that don’t.

What does a marketing strategy involve? It’s a process for understanding the following:

• • How to identify the right audiences and make them aware of your brand and products/services.
  • How to project your brand at these audiences through a consistent narrative
  • How to establish budgets, tools, tactics and channels you need to succeed
  • How to create the right content to help you engage these audiences
  • How to acquire new potentials to your email list or CRM (see No. 5)
  • How to convince individuals considering your products and services to eventually buy.
  • How to encourage those buyers to spread the word about you

Don’t hesitate to reach out to us at Marketing Nice Guys if you need help in this area as well.

No. 2: You Take Too Long to Make an Operational Decision on What to Do

Sometimes marketing requires being nimble and a willingness to just dive in and try something. Too often, we see businesses that delay decisions because there are so many options, and they become paralyzed in a sense. (Of course, we’re not suggesting just diving in and doing anything here. You need to have a strategy in place before you do that, as outlined in no. 1). But once that’s been established,

it’s equally crucial to take action when you’re in the operations phase and test different tactics in the market. Start by identifying the most promising channels for reaching your target audience and experiment with new content or campaigns. By being proactive and responsive to market feedback, you can refine your approach and find what resonates best with your customers.

No. 3: You’re Not Emotionally Moving Customers Toward a Purchase

Marketing is ultimately about behavior change. Using emotions or understanding your audiences’ emotions and psychographics can help you motivate them to continue to move down the marketing funnel toward a purchase. Why emotions in particular? Well, for starters, they play a significant role in purchasing decisions. If a potential customer relates emotionally to a company, it’s further reason for them to continue down the path of the buyer journey. A few things you can do:

• • Tailor your messaging to evoke specific feelings that align with their desires and aspirations.
  • Make the attempt to understand other drives of behavior too, such as loves, hate, or fear and anxiety. By connecting with customers on an emotional level, you can motivate them to move further down the marketing funnel to take action.
  • Use storytelling, testimonials, or relatable content to create an emotional connection that fosters trust and increases the likelihood of conversion.

No. 4: You’re Not Fixing the Leaks in Your Marketing Funnel

A well-structured marketing strategy (as mentioned in no. 1) guides customers from awareness to conversion. However, if there are leaks in your funnel, potential customers may be dropping off along the way. Identifying these leaks where they’re occurring requires a thorough understanding of your marketing metrics and data. This is where companies should be analyzing data for campaign performance but also employing marketing best practice data. As we’ve discussed in previous posts, there are thousands of marketing best practice tactics out there. What’s important is that companies should understand the data, and also ACT on it. Here are 6 examples of best practice data that you can do right now:

• • Website: According to Google, a one-second website speed improvement can increase conversions for mobile users by up to 27%. Can you improve your website speed?
  • Email: Triggered emails are opened on average at 25.4% – about 78 percent better than non-triggered messages. Have you set up triggered or automated messaging?
  • Social: Companies that post 20x per month in LinkedIn reach 60 percent of their audience. How many times per month do you post in LinkedIn?
  • Advertising: Video ads can improve click-thru rates over static ads by 20 to 30 percent acc. to some studies. Do you do video ads? If not, why not?
  • SEO: Best practice suggests that every page on your website should have 5 internal links pointing to it. Do you make it part of your practice to link to other pages, especially with blogs?
  • Content: Adding a blog to your website can boost your website traffic by up to 55 percent, acc. to some studies. Do you have a blog for your website?

By addressing these issues, you can ensure a smooth journey for your customers and increase the chances of conversion.

No. 5: You’re Not Doing Enough to Acquire Individuals to Your Email Lists

Obviously, related to your strategy in No. 1 above, many businesses fail to prioritize this aspect of their marketing efforts. Indeed, building and nurturing an email marketing list is not only a powerful strategy for customer acquisition and retention, but it’s also perhaps the KEY step for customers to get on the path toward buying. Yet, regardless of whether a purchase is eventually involved, focusing on acquiring individuals to your email list can yield significant benefits. Here are some things we think nearly all companies should do in this area:  

• • Set up effective email marketing automation to capture leads and develop targeted content that appeals to your audience’s interests and needs.
  • Offer valuable resources such as webinars, e-books, or infographic downloads to entice visitors to subscribe to your list.
  • Once they are on your list, continue engaging them with relevant content and personalized offers. The more familiar they become with your brand and the value you provide, the more likely they are to make a purchase or recommend your business to others.

Conclusion

Getting new customers through the door is a constant challenge for businesses. And it might not happen overnight, as acquiring new customers can take time and effort. So, be patient and persistent in your marketing endeavors. With a strategic mindset and a customer-centric approach, you’ll be well on your way to attracting new customers and growing your business. If you need help, don’t hesitate to contact us for a free consultation.