Why Most E-tailers Will Never Be Great at Digital Campaigns
Are you blowing your digital promotions due to complacency in your marketing campaigns? Find out how to create successful digital campaigns right here!
What was the result of your last digital marketing campaign? Was it met with an uproaring response? Or did you find that your metrics took a blow?
If you didn’t get the results you hoped for, consider yourself in plenty of company. A UK marketing study showed that only 47% of digital campaigns were seen by the intended audience – that’s less than half!
Sometimes, you can tell a good digital campaign from a bad one simply by looking at it. But when you’re creating them yourself, it’s easy to overlook simple details or mistakes that can impact your campaign’s success.
There are plenty of reasons why a digital campaign can fail. Maybe your campaign execution was bad. Maybe you didn’t do your market research. Maybe you’re focusing on the wrong metrics. Price, user experience, or shipping costs may be huge turn-offs to your audience to the point they don’t convert.
Whatever the reason, the way marketers tell a good campaign from a bad one is by examining the ROI. This all-important metric is the go-to resource for marketers to determine the dollar value of their efforts. A negative ROI means you failed somewhere, plain and simple. A positive ROI could mean a number of things, and it’s not always a good thing. The reason is that even though you may have earned more than you spent, that doesn’t mean your campaign was as powerful as it could have been.
In this mindset, the number one reason most digital marketers will never be great at promotions points to complacency.
The Dangers of Complacency in Digital Marketing
Complacency is an unspoken danger in digital marketing, mainly because many marketers don’t recognize its existence. Positive numbers mean something is working. The lights stay on, the doors stay open, and the website stays active.
But “just good enough” marketing isn’t going to cut it forever, especially as the number of e-tailers and e-commerce sales continues to climb each year.
E-commerce stores are already faced with massive competition for online visibility. Content and advertising wars are fiercer than ever. Yet marketers are still stuck in a 3-5% conversion rate goal because that’s what many popular online sources say is most common.
If your ROI is within this target, you’re likely matching that of most of your competition.
But here’s a valid question: why stop there? Why not strive to boost those number above the par for the course? Why are so many marketers happy with being average?
Truth be told, it takes a lot of effort to be innovative in digital marketing. It’s easy to copy what someone has already proven works. It’s risky, and sometimes expensive, to strive for marketing that’s above average. If marketers veer away from the tried-and-true they already know works in lieu of something that might or might not deliver better gains, they risk blemishing their reputation of achieving positive results.
It’s a delicate line, but marketers who want their digital campaigns to reach their full potential must not be afraid to cross it.
It’s only a matter of time before what’s always worked before will no longer deliver results. Banner ads, brand-centric messages, and renting email lists have already gone the way of the buffalo. SEO rules continue to change, and so should your digital marketing. If you’re not prepared to shift as the industry demands before you’re forced to, digital marketing may become the least of your worries.
2 Essential Components to Effective Digital Campaigns for E-Tailers
Avoiding complacency can be harder than it sounds. When you look at a campaign’s ROI and see your gains, it’s only natural to get excited that someone took notice. If you continue producing positive gains on your campaigns, it’s logical to think you’ve found your rhythm.
What isn’t so obvious is that there’s usually something you could have done to improve your results.
If you want to give your digital campaigns the best chance of reaching their full potential, you’ll want to include these two core focuses in your marketing strategy:
#1 – Rely on Strategy Over Metrics
Metrics reveal a lot about your digital campaign, but they don’t tell the entire story. That’s because there are some important pieces of a promotion that just can’t be measured.
Essentially, your digital promotion should focus on content, not just numbers. Marketers often struggle with this concept because they’re trained to care about numbers. They can’t measure relationship values. They can’t put a number on brand awareness.
When you focus on content that builds meaningful relationships, the sales will follow naturally, usually for weeks, months, or even years after the campaign has ended.
One-off sales promotions will do nothing to cement brand loyalty. If you offer a deal, you’ll attract more bargain shoppers who have no trouble jumping to your nearest competitor when they’re offering deals.
#2 – Create a Cohesive Multi-Channel Relationship
Today’s shopper uses a multi-channel approach to shopping. They might see your ad, then visit your website, then read online reviews, then check you out on social media, etc. They’re experiencing your brand on several channels prior to making a purchasing decision.
If each channel gives your shopper a different impression of your brand, they won’t be as likely to purchase. Lacking cohesion between channels will give shoppers a hard time connecting your brand with what you offer. They may think your social media channels are appealing, but if you appear like a different company altogether on your website they might lose trust and avoid purchasing.
Your digital promotions need to look and function as an extension of your brand and all your online channels. A nice creative might get their attention, but brand cohesion and a better omnichannel experience will get them to buy.
Will Your Next Digital Campaign Be a Success or Failure?
Knowing what you know now, how will your next digital campaign fare?
If you haven’t adopted the above mindsets into your current marketing strategies, now is the time to start. Your digital campaigns may already be great, but there’s always room for improvement.
