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Melissa McMurdock
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Why Your Online Marketing Strategy Is Not Working
Whether you’re a global Fortune 500 brand or a humble startup, one thing is clear – in today’s digitally driven world, ignoring your online presence can spell disaster.
As customers continue their never-ending migration to mobile devices and services, having a thoughtful strategy for reaching them in the virtual space has become a necessity, not a luxury.
Yet for all the time, money and manpower companies pour into their digital marketing endeavours, success often remains elusive.
No matter how innovative the tactics or expansive the budgets, that magic formula for online triumph keeps dancing just beyond grasp.
Why is this the case? What invisible stumbling blocks are causing even the savviest of strategists to scratch their heads in puzzlement?
Through extensive research and real-world experience helping a wide range of clients, both large and small, I’ve identified some startlingly common culprits responsible for the stagnation or even decline of otherwise promising online efforts.
In this revealing exposé, we’ll lift the lid on the shadowy saboteurs stealthily sinking campaigns before they can take off.
I’ll share practical pointers for banishing these digital demons once and for all.
Whether you’re a digital marketing maven or just dipping your tentative toes into the online waters, read on for actionable advice to analyse your Achilles’ heels and awaken the sleeping giant that is your full web potential.
It’s time to finally solve the mystery of ineffective online strategies – and turn the tide in your favour.
Your engaged audience awaits within, so what are you waiting for? Let’s get started.
Table of Contents
Lack of Clear Goals and Metrics
One of the most common pitfalls that businesses encounter in their online marketing efforts is a lack of defined goals and metrics.
Without clearly outlined objectives, it becomes near impossible to focus efforts strategically or track performance over time.
The marketing process risks becoming scattered and aimless without tangible targets to work towards.
It is surprising how many companies plunge head-first into various online tactics without stopping to consider why they are doing so in the first place.
Are you trying to generate more website traffic, acquire new email subscribers, increase product sales, or boost brand awareness on social media?
Your goals will dictate the suitable tactics, whereas unclear or mismatched goals all but guarantee disappointing results.
Setting goals requires careful thought regarding not only what you want to achieve, but also how you will measure success.
Key performance indicators (KPIs) help quantify goals into concrete metrics that can then be consistently tracked.
Examples of common marketing KPIs include leads, conversion rates, website traffic sources, average order value, and social media engagements.
Goal-setting is best approached through a structured framework like SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-Bound).
This helps goals be unambiguous and aligned with broader business objectives.
For instance, a specific goal could be “Increase monthly website visits from our organic Facebook page posts by 15% over the next six months.”
The metrics (visits), target (15% increase), and timeline (6 months) make progress easy to monitor.
Regular reviews of goals and KPIs are equally important to take stock of what is working well and what needs refinement.
Tools like Google Analytics make it effortless to analyse metrics across different tactics and time periods.
If goals are missed, this feedback loop allows strategies to be quickly adapted before resources are misallocated.
With a laser focus on well-defined objectives and results, marketers can optimise efforts and ensure their online strategy is working as intended.
Content is King: Insufficient Content Marketing
Content marketing is a core component of any effective online marketing strategy.
However, many businesses struggle because they do not recognise the vital role of high-quality, informative content.
A steady stream of great content is essential to attract and engage customers, build authority, drive traffic, and increase conversions over time.
There are various formats businesses can use to produce and share useful content, such as blogs, videos, social media posts, eBooks, infographics, and more.
However, content should not be created just occasionally. You need a consistent content calendar and publishing schedule to feed your marketing campaigns and online channels.
Customers today expect relevant information at their fingertips, so you need new material regularly to maintain their interest.
It is not enough to just create content and share it – the topics and keywords should be carefully chosen.
Conduct keyword research to understand what your target audience is searching for online.
Make sure your content answers common questions and covers pressing industry topics and trends.
Relevant, solution-oriented articles that are shared widely will lead more prospects to your website and help generate leads.
Producing high-quality blog posts one to two times per week is a good start.
You can also boost your video content by creating tutorials, product demonstrations, or interviews on platforms like YouTube.
Consistent posting across multiple formats and channels will raise brand awareness, position you as a thought leader, and increase organic traffic over the long run by ranking higher in search engines.
If you are not dedicating significant time to content marketing as part of your online strategy, it is likely a big reason why your current efforts are not working.
Carefully planned, well-written material is vital to attracting and converting more prospects every month.
Poor Website Design and User Experience
A business’ website forms the central pillar of its online presence.
However, many sites fail to optimise the most vital aspect – the user experience.
A poorly designed or cluttered website leaves visitors confused and impacts conversion rates.
Usability is key – ensure your site is easy to navigate and use.
Conduct regular checks for pain points like complex menus or multilayered pages that frustrate users.
Load speed also greatly influences perceptions of your brand – 59% of consumers expect a page to load within 2 seconds.
Invest in optimisation to satisfy this expectation.
The core objective of any website should be to meet customer needs seamlessly.
Map out the various journeys a user may take – from initial search to purchase and beyond.
Build intuitive flows between pages through clear calls-to-action and contextual links.
Also, assess your site on mobile; over half of the traffic now comes from smartphones with different usability needs.
Responsive design has become a basic necessity. Yet many businesses still rely on incompatible templates or neglect mobile optimisation entirely.
Ensure seamless viewing and interaction across all devices. Additionally, consider separate mobile sites if your traffic skews heavily that way.
Unoptimised apps waste users’ time and lose their hard-earned customers.
Lastly, look at your website visually. Outdated designs lack appeal and age your brand.
Keep layouts simple with proper whitespace and focus users’ attention on important areas.
Be responsive to feedback and continuously test minor tweaks to enhance the experience.
Your website forms the first impression – make sure it leaves visitors wanting more through superb design and satisfaction every step of the way.
Overreliance on Paid Advertising
While paid marketing channels like pay-per-click ads, sponsored posts, or promoted tweets undoubtedly help drive new traffic and sales, relying solely on them to build an online business is risky.
Overdependence on paid channels can actually work against optimisers in the long run.
For one, the cost of customer acquisition through paid ads tends to be much higher compared to marketing methods that generate organic and free traffic.
Numerous studies show that paid clicks on average yield 2-10% conversions, meaning marketers have to pay considerably more to get the same number of sales as they would through unpaid followers and rankings.
Additionally, ceasing paid campaigns even temporarily due to budget depletion can dramatically impact the number of new daily visitors to a site.
Without an existing organic search presence or loyal social media audience built over time, sites see huge traffic drops that directly hit revenues.
Relying solely on the fluctuations and expenses of paid channels is therefore an unstable long-term strategy for growth.
Instead, optimisers should focus first on local search engine optimisation and content marketing techniques to gradually attract qualified organic traffic that doesn’t cost each time it converts.
They can then supplement these efforts with targeted paid campaigns that complement — rather than constitute — their main online visibility strategy.
Testing key phrases, ad copy variations, and even platforms regularly also helps lower waste and improve the performance of budgeted expenditures.
At the same time, continuously reallocating spend from underperforming paid channels or keywords to more promising avenues through A/B testing prevents funds from draining away into ineffective campaigns month after month.
In this manner, marketers build a balanced marketing approach with scalable unpaid channels, providing a foundation that paid ads amplify cost-efficiently for longer-lasting growth.
Ineffective Search Engine Optimisation
Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) is a crucial aspect of online marketing that many business owners misunderstand or neglect to their detriment.
SEO refers to the process of improving aspects of a website to increase its visibility in organic or unpaid search engine results.
However, several common myths persist that prevent companies from properly leveraging SEO.
One myth is that SEO is just about keyword stuffing or manipulating website code, but SEO best practises have evolved far beyond these outdated tactics.
On-page SEO still begins with optimising important elements like page titles, headings, URL structures, and visible text for target keywords.
Ensuring pages have relevant, duplicate-free content that answers users’ queries is key.
Internal linking between optimised pages also aids the discoverability of site content by search engines.
Technical SEO basics like implementing HTTPS, submitting an XML sitemap, and minimising page load times through image optimisation and caching also must not be overlooked.
Google has repeatedly stressed the importance of site speed and security in ranking algorithms.
Another misconception companies have is that SEO is all technical.
While on-page elements are important, off-page signals like backlinks, social shares, reviews, and brand/company mentions help search engines better understand credibility and popularity.
Black hat techniques like hidden text, doorway pages, or excessive keyword stuffing are inadvisable, as search engines have become quite adept at detecting manipulative practises.
Additionally, focusing solely on SEO best practises without monitoring results can lead to wasted efforts.
Monthly analytics of organic traffic and keyword rankings allow business owners to assess the effectiveness of changes and pivot optimisation strategies as needed.
With the continual development of AI and machine learning, SEO must also evolve to accommodate new technical and user experience factors.
An integrated approach considering both technical and creative elements is often most effective for improving organic search visibility over the long run.
Not Leveraging All Social Media Platforms
Social media presents a massive opportunity for businesses to connect with existing customers and attract new audiences.
However, target audiences are active across multiple social networks, not just one or two platforms.
It is estimated that over 3.8 billion people worldwide use some form of social media monthly.
Rather than relying on a single channel, savvy marketers distribute their presence and engage customers wherever they are.
While Facebook and Instagram remain popular choices overall, the demographic profiles on each network vary.
For example, younger consumers tend to be more active on Instagram and Snapchat compared to older generations, who still prefer Facebook.
Likewise, professionals gathering industry updates are frequent LinkedIn users.
Evaluating which platforms resonate most with your ideal customer and are suitable for representing your business image is an important exercise.
Once the relevant networks are identified, it is crucial to post customised, fresh updates tailored to each community consistently.
Rather than using social identities solely as a one-way broadcasting tool to constantly promote special offers, focus on engaging with followers authentically.
Share industry news and customer perspectives. Pose questions to spark discussions.
Thank people for their interactions and feedback. This involvement helps build trust and authority as an industry leader over time.
By segmenting social activities thoughtfully across profiles, businesses cast a wider net to reach dispersed target audiences.
Those who commit to multiple platforms reap rewards like expanded reach, ongoing customer conversations and elevated brand awareness – all of which support marketing and sales goals.
Neglecting entire networks denies opportunities to strengthen connections with communities already forming online.
Overlooking Email Marketing
While businesses invest ample resources into search, social media and advertising, one important channel is often neglected – email marketing.
However, email lists can become one of the most valuable digital assets for any enterprise if nurtured properly.
Building an email list starts with capturing leads online via web forms, downloading offer incentivised content, or joining a webinar.
Unlike pushy promotions on other channels, emails enable helpful, non-sales communication to slowly nurture relationships with potential customers.
Some proven tactics include regular newsletters discussing industry trends, educational guides, and informative stories about past customers.
It is estimated that email open rates average around 20%, whereas clicks can be 5%.
With the right targeting, segments performing webinar downloads, for instance, could see double these metrics.
Once built, lists empower personalised, targeted communications about newly launched products or time-sensitive deals.
Automation also assists in re-engaging past customers or guiding new leads through onboarding sequences.
Designing emails correctly matters tremendously. Cluttered layouts or long blocks of text hurt viewing on smaller screens, decreasing engagement.
Fundamentals like a clear call-to-action button anchored near the top, spaced-out bullet points, and high-quality imagery pique curiosity to click.
Consistency in styling the company brand and newsletter format is also essential for subscribers.
While some consider email outdated, the reality is that most consumers still rely on their inboxes daily to find information.
Neglecting this vital channel risks missing out on boosted sales.
Regular, helpful content is more meaningful than one-off blasts, and using remarketing tools to further nurture warm audiences online can substantially grow a business over time.
Not Optimising for Mobile Users
In today’s digital landscape, most internet usage now occurs via mobile devices rather than desktop computers.
According to recent statistics from various sources, over half of all web traffic worldwide originates from smartphones and tablets.
As such, it is imperative for businesses to ensure their online marketing efforts are optimised for mobile users.
Websites need to be developed using responsive design principles to automatically adjust the layout and improve the user experience across different mobile screen sizes.
Page load times also significantly impact how users engage with mobile sites – more than 50% of mobile site visitors will abandon a page that takes over 3 seconds to load.
Technical elements like image compression and stylesheet merging should be implemented to optimise load speeds for smartphones and tablets.
Beyond the technical aspects, website content and calls-to-action must be appropriately adapted for smaller mobile screens.
Text-heavy pages do not translate well, and important information should be above the fold.
Elements like navigation menus, contact forms, login boxes, and shopping carts need careful reconsideration on how they will function via touchscreens.
Usability testing with real mobile users can help identify any common pain points.
For companies that see especially high proportions of traffic from mobile devices, a dedicated mobile site or responsive app may be worthwhile.
These optimise the experience even further by taking advantage of device features like geolocation services.
However, all websites must minimally be fully functional across phone and tablet browsers through responsive design implementation.
Neglecting to optimise for mobile spells missed opportunities in a post-desktop world.
Users will quickly go elsewhere if your site or content is a poor experience to engage with on-the-go.
Regular testing and analytics can track if mobile experiences are on par or lagging behind desktop, prompting areas for improvement to keep up with shifting consumer behaviours.
Focusing efforts on the continuously growing mobile audience will significantly boost online visibility and sales in the long run.
Insufficient Testing and Iteration
Testing different approaches is one of the most effective ways to improve your online marketing strategy.
However, many companies fail to dedicate enough time and resources towards testing.
They rely on assumptions or past experiences instead of measuring what really works best for their business and target audience.
It is crucial to test elements like headlines, copy, images, or offers to understand what truly engages and converts visitors.
A great approach is to do A/B split testing, where you provide two similar but slightly different versions to select groups of users.
For example, you can test two different headline styles, button labels, or email subject lines to see which performs better.
This allows you to continuously refine what resonates most without making guesses.
Another important area for testing is landing pages.
Create multiple page variations with small changes in the placement of form fields, additional content sections, or call-to-action. Analyse which pages see higher conversion rates.
You can also do multivariate testing, where multiple elements are tested together to understand their combined impact.
Leveraging analytics and conversion optimisation platforms streamlines the testing process.
Integrate tools that allow setting up controlled tests without code changes.
They provide insights into the statistical significance of results within a few days.
Be sure to keep the testing duration sufficiently long to avoid premature conclusions.
Do not limit testing to only digital mediums. Offline testing like user interviews and surveys can reveal important usability issues or stumbling blocks on your website or physical products.
Factor such qualitative feedback into improvements as well.
Finally, once you identify top-performing pages, ads, or offers, be sure to rigorously evaluate their long-term performance before scaling them up.
Iterative testing at all stages of the customer journey is an ongoing process that delivers continuous growth for online business strategies.
Lack of Dedicated Resources
While an effective online marketing strategy may seem like it simply requires creative ideas and posting engaging content, success ultimately depends on investing focused time and effort into execution, or it will not be optimised.
Dedicating knowledgeable staff or experienced agency partners to their different tactics is essential to making tangible improvements.
Many businesses underestimate how much continuous work is needed.
Common issues include assigning marketing responsibilities as an additional task for an employee who already wears many hats.
However, without the time to deeply research evolving techniques, interpret data, and experiment with iterations, the approach becomes fragmented.
Weekly status meetings alone are not sufficient—digital efforts deserve dedicated oversight.
Studies show businesses generating over $100k monthly from their websites typically allocate a minimum of 2-4 employees fully to marketing duties.
Splitting hours across other roles undermines having a laser focus on core priorities like SEO, paid media, and the customer experience.
Revenue lifts of 25-50% are typically seen when shifting from part-time to specialist management.
For some small companies, hiring in-house is not financially prudent.
Partnering with an agency that blends strategic guidance with implementation is a viable alternative.
Quality firms have skilled staff operating at scale, continually trained on innovations.
They ensure activities remain synergised rather than conflicting or neglected.
The cost is offset by accelerated growth—research demonstrating agencies achieve 3x more qualified leads for customers.
Regardless of whether resources are internal or external, appointing a champion is paramount.
This individual coordinates all programmes under one unified vision, prevents duplications, and ensures accountability.
Having a single point of contact also creates organisational clarity for maximum results.
Without consistent direction and ownership, even the soundest of plans is unlikely to achieve lift-off.
Dedicating the proper amount of human capital must not be an afterthought for an online strategy to thrive.
Addressing this frequently overlooked pitfall can be the difference between treading water and tapping into real commercial potential.
Poor Consideration of Customer Experience
Customer experience, or CX, refers to a customer’s perceptions and interactions with a company at every step of the customer journey.
It encompasses everything from first impressions of your brand online to post-purchase support.
Numerous studies have shown that CX has a significant influence on crucial brand metrics like customer satisfaction, loyalty, and advocacy.
However, far too many companies still do not prioritise CX in their marketing strategies.
It is important to evaluate all customer touchpoints with your business and seek regular feedback.
This includes inspecting your website, marketing communications, sales processes, and product and service delivery thoroughly from the customer’s perspective.
One study found that around 90% of customers who have a poor experience with a brand will never use it again.
Meanwhile, great experiences lead to customers spending 140% more.
Clearly, ignoring CX can prove disastrous for driving conversions and retention.
Other aspects to reflect on include how well you provide support through multiple channels.
According to statistics, 82% of customers prefer self-service options like knowledge bases, while 56% expect a response to any customer queries within an hour.
Post-purchase follow-ups are also essential for gathering helpful reviews and handling issues smoothly.
Around 15-30% of customers may complain online even after a refund or replacement is given if their initial problems were not addressed supportively.
Personalisation based on past behaviour further boosts loyalty.
For instance, welcomed follow-up emails on similar products two weeks after a purchase can generate 20-30% more revenue.
Analysing which tactics and messages work best for certain customer segments allows catering interactions to occur accordingly across all channels in a consistent manner.
No online marketing strategy can succeed without placing equal importance on elevating the experiences that potential buyers and current customers associate with a brand.
Regular audits and acting on feedback are key to continuously refining approaches from an audience-first mindset.
Lack of Cross-Channel Integration
While utilising multiple marketing channels is important, it is equally crucial to integrate them in a cohesive manner. Silos between online tactics often result in scattered efforts with minimal synergies.
However, linking strategies appropriately across mediums allows for the pooling of combined resources.
It is important to harmonise branding elements like messaging, imagery, fonts, and colours used on all touchpoints.
This ensures a familiar visual identity and aids recall and trust.
Similarly, calls-to-action should be consistent to smoothly guide customers through the online journey.
For example, visitors reaching your website from search ads should encounter the same “Buy Now” button highlighted on social media posts.
Retargeting is a powerful technique to reconnect with potential clients across platforms.
Analytics can reveal those who abandoned carts or viewed certain product pages.
Ad retargeting programmes then maintain the visibility of your offerings to these individuals browsing other sites.
You can also reconnect with past website visitors through retargeted social ads.
Additionally, content produced for one channel should be promoted on alternative networks.
Valuable blog posts and videos created primarily for organic search can be tweeted, shared on Facebook, or included in email campaigns.
Relevant comments and reviews posted by customers on social media lend authenticity if highlighted on landing pages as well.
Finally, attribution modelling becomes possible by integrating tags to track user paths.
These shed light on the impact of different tactics like SEO, paid ads, or affiliates.
Over time, it reveals the most effective combinations to double down on – such as running search campaigns to drive traffic towards authoritative blog content.
An isolated or scattered approach severely limits online marketing results.
Integrating strategies seamlessly across channels using branding, retargeting, and attribution opens the door to powerful synergies waiting to be leveraged.
Conclusion
In closing, I want to reiterate some of the key challenges that were addressed throughout this article as being common reasons why online marketing strategies often fail to achieve their desired goals.
While there are certainly many factors that could potentially undermine an organisation’s digital efforts, the good news is that each of these issues can be overcome with diligent effort.
It is crucial that businesses continue refining their goals and carefully tracking metrics and key performance indicators to gain insights into what approaches are truly driving results.
Additionally, optimisation should remain an ongoing process with the testing of different tactics and a continual review of lessons learned.
No strategy will succeed without dedicated resources to plan, execute, and coordinate efforts as well.
Above all, maintaining a long-term focus on continual learning, experimentation, and openness to new ideas will help any marketer navigate an evolving digital landscape.
I encourage taking the time to critically assess your own methods based on the perspectives shared here, and please do not hesitate to reach out if you have any other questions or suggestions on how to develop a more holistic and effective approach.
While challenges may exist, by adopting a strategic and proactive mindset when it comes to online presence, any company can position itself to succeed in today’s marketplace.
I thank you for taking the time to read this article and hope that the insights provided empower your team to better evaluate current performance and identify new growth opportunities.
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