It would be great if marketing was a perfectly predictable animal. You plug in good material and messaging, and you get new sales, more hits on your door, and a modest version of fame and fortune as output.

Unfortunately, this is not always the case. Marketing campaigns, even those stimulated by gargantuan budgets, can fail miserably. But know some of the common things that sabotage campaigns can help you avoid a disaster.

Here we are going to explore some "epic failures" that make campaigns go wrong, and what to do instead of doing yours.

Epic Fail # 1. The promotional budget is short

You could spend a lot of time on a new content or advertising marketing campaign. Maybe you spend even countless hours and days on the tone of voice, the types of media, the offer you will make and the steps that will move the respondents in the course of the business. 39; buyer.

But without enough money put up for promotion, everything can fall flat. The lack of an adequate promotion engine – and in digital marketing, you have options ranging from highly targeted ads on social networks to PPC, and banner ads to campaigns for influence – means that a campaign will fail to reach its target audience and your overall ROI will fall short.

How to succeed instead

You should invest 50% (or even better, 100%) of the creative budget in promoting the campaign, to make sure the right people see your marketing messages well enough.

Epic Fail # 2. There is a lack of buy-in and insight on the part of senior leaders

One has the impression that leaders and business leaders are often disconnected and do not really have ideas likely to lead to better results in marketing. But … they are leaders for a reason. This is often because they have built the company, or their role inside of it, through trial and error and in the course of time. relying on "insider" information.

That said, the ideas of experienced practitioners can play a central role in the success of a campaign.

How to succeed instead

Marketers should seek to get the summit's membership and invite these leaders to share their knowledge about the psychographics of the target audience, the benefits of special products and the new directions of the industry. Sometimes these treats can turn an "OK" campaign into a dazzling success.

Epic Fail # 3. The campaign is not tied to specific goals

Just as you would not want to embark on a new journey without a map (or nowadays, without your trusty GPS), you do not want to create a campaign without a final goal. If you do not attach campaigns to the fixed numbers you want to see, you will not understand which repeatable lead generation and sales processes will allow you to grow.

Start by detailing exactly where you want your business to be – how many leads and sales each quarter, or the number of conversions and traffic to your website, for example – to meet your revenue goals . Then you can create campaigns that can achieve those goals.

Epic Fail # 4. The campaign lacks the mark of public speaking

One of the worst things that a campaign can do is fail in its primary purpose – communicating with the public. Just take some of the marketing breakdowns of 2017 – the Kendall Jenner Pepsi commercial and the "Real Beauty Bottles" ad from Dove UK – as examples.

Conclusion: It is essential to get the message across with the marketing campaigns.

How to succeed instead

Consider your approach from every angle, including the tone you will use in creating, the amount of "originality" you need to make an impact and the deeper desires of the target group. Make sure you spend as much time as you can to understand the audience and what motivates them for positive action. (This is another area where the ideas of business leaders can be an invaluable asset.)

Epic Fail # 5. The message is matched to the wrong medium

You are on social media when your target audience is still reading magazines and print newspapers. Or, to be more realistic: you are on LinkedIn when your most likely customers come out on Instagram. In one way or another, your medium hampers your message.

Although your brand should be present on multiple platforms, the amount of time, money and effort you invest in each of them should not necessarily be the same.

How to succeed instead

Look at your demographics, psychographics, and buyer characters to understand the media of choice for your audience, and double down on what works best. To make sure you stay in the winning channels, keep testing.

For every marketing effort that fails, there is a pitfall (or two) that could have been resolved from the start, and a change of course that would have allowed the campaign to succeed. To turn your next campaign into gold, be aware of potential cracks in the ground and follow the best practices above.