Marketers have to keep an awful lot of plates spinning at one time. There are demanding customers, sceptical superiors and just when you think you’ve cracked it, there’s a whole new technique the marketing world is going crazy for.
It can sometimes feel as though you’re sinking so to help, we’ve put together a few tips for overcoming the different marketing challenges you’re facing.
- Reaching Your Target Audience
- Marketing Techniques are Always Shifting
- Convincing Others to Follow Your Lead
- Less Valued Than the Sales Team
- Unrealistic Targets
- Feeling Busy, Stressed and Run Down
1. Reaching Your Target Audience
No matter the size or scale of your business, if your marketing material isn’t reaching its target audience, then you’ll suffer as a result. Even if your social posts, blogs and videos are perfect, they won’t have the desired impact if the correct people aren’t seeing them.
It can feel as though your content is getting lost in the noise without the right kind of targeted approach. It’s important that you make sure your material ends up in front of the right person at the right time.
BeBrilliant Club Tip: Put together an extensive profile of your ideal customer and work out who they are. Once you know their age, occupation, shopping habits and most visited websites, you can target your content more effectively.
2. Marketing Techniques are Always Shifting
The way we market to customers and businesses is completely different from how things were done 10, 20 or 30 years ago. The rise of the internet and smartphones means that strategies evolve and adapt at a breakneck speed. Does print marketing still hold importance?
It can feel as though you’re just getting your head around something, only to find out it’s obsolete and the wrong thing to do. You really do need to take a proactive approach when it comes to new ideas and techniques to make sure your work isn’t out of date.
BeBrilliant Club Tip: Follow industry leaders on social media and read as many marketing blogs as you can. With marketing, there’s always more to know and you’ll find that the more articles you read and videos you watch, the more innovative your ideas are.
3. Convincing Others to Follow Your Lead
People are afraid of change. They’ve done something a certain way for years and they’re highly sceptical of your brave new ideas. Convincing others to innovate is incredibly frustrating, especially if they’re stuck in their ways.
You might be suggesting a path that’s more expensive or requires more work but you know that in the end, the results will speak for themselves.
BeBrilliant Club Tip: Try and collate as much evidence as you can to show that your ideas are the way to go. It’s much harder for someone to argue with cold, hard statistics.
If someone really is reluctant, then suggest split testing. Run two separate campaigns - one that follows your idea and one that follows the traditional way of doing things. Try and remember not to gloat too much when yours is more successful.
4. Less Valued than the Sales Team
The battle between sales and marketing teams isn’t a new one. Some CEOs and directors are always going to value sales over marketing because they believe that sales is where the money is.
You and I know that isn’t true but it’s frustrating all the same. It’s especially disheartening when more money and resources are dedicated to outdated sales strategies, rather than innovative marketing techniques that are proven to have better results.
BeBrilliant Club Tip: Don’t fight the sales team, embrace them. Sales and marketing teams can work in perfect harmony. When set up correctly, marketing can ensure that more high-quality leads are passed to sales, saving them time and increasing revenue. Everyone wins.
5. Unrealistic Targets
Marketing results are sometimes hard to measure. This can make it difficult when clients or managers are setting targets. What works for one client or campaign might not work for someone else, but your manager has already promised the same great results.
Unrealistic targets will cause you unnecessary stress and result in you having to defend your strategies.
BeBrilliant Club Tip: From the very beginning, make sure you’re part of any conversation that involves expectations or targets. Set a realistic plan of what to expect after three months, six months, one year etc. so you aren’t feeling stressed about achieving impossible results.
6. Feeling Busy, Stressed and Run down
Being busy is to be expected when it comes to marketing. However, too much stress can leave us feeling rundown and can affect other parts of our life. It’s important to maintain a good work/life balance otherwise you’ll really start to struggle.
Studies have shown that 71 percent of marketers say they feel burnt out. To stop that happening, take a break and dedicate parts of your day to relaxing and recharging. You’ll find your work ethic and morale improves because you’re giving your body a chance to recover.
BeBrilliant Club Tip: Remember to delegate tasks to members of your team. Marketing isn’t a one-person operation and you should utilise other people as much as possible.
Get More Tips and Advice by Joining the BeBrilliant Club
The BeBrilliant Club is for anyone that’s interested in marketing. Whether you’re part of a large team or trying to go it alone, it has something for everyone.
Head over to our page now to sign up to be a member and receive brilliant marketing tips, an invite to our club event and a range of BeBrilliant merchandise.
