What’s Behind Your Marketing Frustration?

Marketing frustration is real; it’s normal and pervasive. Ultimately, when you’re frustrated by marketing that means you’ve somehow lost focus — even if you think you haven’t.

Overwhelm, means you’ve got too many balls in the air. Frustration means that some of those balls are falling down around you.

I get it; marketing can be expensive, the results can be hard to measure, and it takes a lot of iterations to get it right.

Think SLOW Marketing: Overcoming Marketing Frustration

So, instead of constantly going from one marketing idea to the next, commit to focus; I like to call it SLOW marketing.

Give yourself the time to think, process, make choices and implement those choices in your digital marketing efforts, see the impacts and data for those choices, so that you can make appropriate changes when you want to.

Think of it this way.

Understanding the Challenges

Inbound marketing teams face a multitude of challenges that can hinder their progress and cause frustration. Despite the fun, fast-paced, and rewarding nature of inbound marketing, common pain points voiced by inbound marketers include lack of team cohesiveness, constant change in direction, push for outbound marketing, disconnects between sales and marketing teams, and unrealistic deadlines.

Inbound marketing involves multiple moving parts, including web development, content creation, and research. Effective execution requires everyone to be on the same page and working cohesively towards the same goal. A clearly documented standard operating procedure (SOP) can help avoid confusion and streamline efficiency. Identifying inefficiencies and optimizing each individual’s workload based on their interests, strengths, and expertise can improve cohesiveness.

Inbound marketing plans take time to develop before they can come to fruition. Too much change too quickly can stifle progress and burn out the team before any results are achieved. Establishing challenging, but achievable, goals and identifying the resources needed to reach them can help. Sticking to the plan and investing in it to give it time to develop is crucial. Tweaking components of the plan for better performance is acceptable, but the overall direction of marketing efforts shouldn’t change too often.

Inbound marketing is a different approach than traditional marketing. It attracts prospects through non-invasive messages and content that they want to receive. When an organization pushes for outbound marketing, it can be confusing and cause frustration. Ensuring that the entire organization knows the difference between inbound and outbound strategies is essential. Deciding which strategy works best for the organization and getting complete buy-in from staff is vital.

Sales and marketing teams struggle to work together when they are siloed from each other. Sales teams are pressured to hit sales goals, while marketing teams are pressured to hit lead goals. Making sure there are consistent definitions around what constitutes a marketing qualified lead can help. Closed-loop marketing can help determine valuable lead sources and justify the value of leads. Creating a holistic approach to the sales and marketing process and reducing disputes about the quality and origin of leads can improve collaboration.

Unrealistic deadlines are met at the expense of quality and effectiveness. Content takes time to put together and needs to be developed according to the target buyer persona’s interests. Considering the quality of content when assigning deadlines is crucial. If more content or campaigns are needed to get the results you want, consider an inbound marketing agency as an extension of your team. Assigning deadlines that allow for proper planning and execution while balancing the rest of the workload is essential.

If you try to catch everything – you’ll catch nothing

I was at a management workshop years ago and the exercise we did changed the way I understood focus forever.

The facilitator called for a volunteer and I was picked. I go to the front of the room and the facilitator said, I’m going to throw these balls in the air and I want you to catch them.

How many did I catch?

None of them.

Then he said, I’m going to throw these balls into the air, and I want you to catch the red one.

He threw the balls in the air.

I caught the red one.

That’s when I realized that overwhelm was having too many balls, ideas, projects, etc. that I was trying to work on at the same time.

That doesn’t work. Trying to juggle too many tasks at once can cause you to waste time and lose focus on what truly matters.

Stay in the step you’re in — and marketing is all about steps

Side view of young businesswoman climbing stairs to success on concrete wall background. Leadership and career development concept

One coach I worked with always says “Stay in the step you’re in.” I absolutely love this phrase and have adopted it for myself in all aspects of life.

Every process has steps. And if you want to get the desired result, you have to complete each step, in order.

Marketing is much the same way. The key to successful marketing is choosing before doing, just as in any other aspect of business.

Get ready to make choices and stick with them

No one tells you this. But the way these marketing millionaires got to where they are isn’t just because they were naturally good at something. They got to where they are because they decided to make choices. They committed to the choices they made and rode them out through several selling cycles so that they could optimize and improve. In some cases, hiring a marketing specialist can help manage these choices and ensure they align with broader strategic goals.

This is all about FOCUS! Making a choice to commit to something. Then choosing the actions you will take and then taking those actions, learning from the data, making improvements, and moving on to the next step.

Use and follow the marketing process to keep you focused

Marketing departments have a process. Follow it in order. Stay in the step you’re in. Make choices before you go on to the next step.

I’ve talked about the marketing process before, but today, you’re going to see exactly where to focus so that you know when you can move on to the next step.

Market Research – Focus on answers to these questions

Young pensive businesswoman and ideas coming out of her head

The purpose of market research to provide you data, information, and insight so that you can make go-no-go decisions. Like:

• Is there a market or an opportunity for this idea?

• Who is my ideal customer?

• Who struggles most with a problem that I solve?

• Who hates doing what I do? Who sucks at doing what I do well? Who would value what I do the most?

• What alternatives do my ideal customers have to choose from?

• How much are those alternatives?

• What is their unmet “want”?

• What is their ideal outcome?

• What’s missing that I can provide?

• What challenge are they dealing with, how have they been solving this problem, what’s everyone telling them to do to solve the problem?

• How long does it take to solve the problem

• How much does it cost to solve the problem

• What’s the current industry success rate in solving this problem?

Skipping this step, or assuming that YOU know the answers to these questions is the root cause of why businesses fail. This is especially true when the two departments, sales and marketing, do not collaborate effectively.

When you look at the research about why businesses fail, you’ll see something like “lack of market research” or “no demand” or “lack of capital (read, not enough money or sales or profit) – all of these issues stem from not having enough information to make good choices and then being overwhelmed by what actions to take.

Don’t stay here forever and get stuck with analysis paralysis – make choices, document why you chose what you chose and move on to the next step.

This is going to be an iterative process anyway, so keep moving.

Segment – Target – Position: Focus on an ideal customer and why they should choose you

Old brass compass lying on a very old map showing the way to treasure

The market research step gives you the information that you need here. You will choose

• A segment of people; women, local residents, retirees, etc.

• Within that segment, you will choose a target; women going through divorce

• Then choose a message to that target; I help women going through divorce plan their financial future. Aligning this message with the efforts of your sales team can ensure a consistent approach to reaching your target audience.

DO NOT continue until you’ve made your choices. Reflect on your research, make your choices, and document why you chose who you chose.

This isn’t cast in stone, but you don’t want to change it just yet without any data.

Why choose a customer before developing an offer?

A lot of businesses start with a product or service first and then go looking for customers. But a product or service is NOT an offer – it’s just a product or service. It’s a commodity. It’s a WHAT, looking for a WHY.

So, even if you have a product or service, you must go through the process of developing an offer. Going through this process might give you some new ideas. Involving your marketing team in this process can help ensure that the offer is well-aligned with market needs and expectations.

Develop an offer using the 4 P’s (Product, Price, Promotion, Place): Focus on the outcome and value equation

Now you’re going to develop an offer for your target market. Your offer is the unique combination of your product or service, how it’s priced, packaged, delivered and promoted. Navigating these elements effectively can help alleviate marketing frustration and lead to better results.

You can’t make money without an offer that appeals to customers

Your offer and what you are selling are two different things.

Your customer is buying an outcome, and your offer is the vehicle, the path or the doorway that leads to the outcome. A well-coordinated marketing team can help ensure that this offer is effectively communicated to your target audience.

• If you sell shovels, your customer is buying holes

• If you sell dishwashers, your customer is buying clean, done-for-you dishes

• If you’re selling landscaping, your customer is buying a maintained, beautiful lawn.

To sell an offer, you have to provide value: Offer = Value

Value is a function of 4 elements:

1. The desired outcome (wants)

2. How likely they are to achieve their desired outcome (wants)

3. How long it takes to achieve the desired outcome (obstacles/friction)

4. How much effort it takes to achieve the desired outcome (obstacles/friction)

It’s a formula that looks like this

Desired outcome x likelihood of achieving it/length of time x effort

You want the numerator to be high and the denominator to be as close to zero as possible.

In an ideal world, the customer would give you money and achieve their outcome the instant they made the purchase and received the offer.

Let’s use water as an example:

desired outcome – not thirsty

likelihood of achieving the outcome – 100%

How long it takes – 0 minutes

How much effort it takes- 0 effort, just drink

This is why a bottle of water in the desert is worth just about any price you’re willing to pay, if you’re thirsty enough.

A great offer will can eliminate 80% of your current marketing effort and expense. If you’re looking for where to sharpen your marketing saw – look no further than creating a great offer. Consulting with a marketing specialist can provide valuable insights into how to enhance your offer’s value proposition.

Implementation: Focus on what works, what doesn’t work and what to change in the sales process

Now you are ready to take action and start implementing your marketing plan within your business. You will NOT get it right the first time. This is why it’s critical to start somewhere and optimize. Make a simple plan without too many moving parts.

Choose your marketing team strategy

There are only three marketing strategies to choose from. Pick the one that matches your natural strengths.

• Content marketing – ideal for experts and educators who recommend different products.

• Direct marketing – ideal for people who have a specific audience, with a specific problem who can use a specific solution.

• Advertising – ideal for people whose time is best spent working one-on-one with customers.

Your marketing strategy is the general way that you’re going to attract customers. You will use elements of all three of these, but one of these strategies will ultimately be your go-to.

Your strategy directs how you’re going to use your tactics. For many businesses, digital marketing strategies are essential to reach and engage their target audience effectively.

Pick some tactics

Tactics are the different communications channels that you’re going to use. Your strategy drives the techniques you will use inside these channels.

Think of it this way: Marketing departments must carefully select and coordinate tactics to ensure they align with the overall strategy.

Think of your strategy as the architectural style of your house; Mid-Century Modern, Colonial, Shot-Gun, for example.

Every house has standard elements inside of it; appliances, rooms, sinks, etc. Those are your tactics – the channels or vehicles with which you do things in your house.

But these rooms and elements will be organized differently depending on what type of house they are in. They will look different, feel different, etc – even though an appliance is an appliance – it’s a vehicle for tasks that need to be done.

In the world of your marketing strategy and communication channels it works very much the same way. The strategy will drive what you say, how you say it and where you deliver the communication so that you meet your audience where they are

Focus on integrating your strategy with your tactics

A lot of frustration comes from doing tactics without a supporting strategy. Here’s what that looks like – I’ve done this WAY TOO MANY TIMES. See if you did too:

• Just sending email newsletters – as a newsletter, with no rhyme, reason, purpose or consistent call to action.

• Doing webinars and not including a solid offer, not talking about the offer, etc.

• Doing webinars and skipping the offer

• Doing webinars and making it all about the offer

• Writing blog posts – to write blog posts

• Skipping from one program or idea to another

The list is endless, I’ve done them all until it hit me that these two go TOGETHER and this creates a level of focus that radically simplifies your life and your marketing,. Ensuring that the two departments, sales and marketing, are aligned can significantly enhance the effectiveness of your marketing efforts.

Measure and Tweak – Focus on small, iterative changes

Honestly, I have always hated measuring and analytics. I avoided it because it felt like a grade, and when the results were below my expectations, I made it mean that I was bad. And, since I didn’t want to be confronted with how much I sucked at this – I didn’t measure.

Sound familiar – I get it.

Well, I’m working my way through this. Numbers are not people. Numbers can’t judge you. Your metrics are really nothing more than guideposts that tell you where to make changes.

I love to cook, so I’m going to compare metrics to tasting your food as you’re cooking.

Your metrics tell you whether you need more salt, or some other spice as you work your way through a recipe. Regularly reviewing these metrics with your sales team can help identify areas for improvement and ensure alignment with marketing goals.

Keep adding, changing, and repeating until you’ve made your recipe ideal just for you.

Focus is the Forgotten Success Ingredient

As you travel the web reading articles, and attending webinars and events, notice how everyone talks about ideas, strategies, and programs that are designed to make your marketing successful. All the programs and ideas are different, and yet they all share one ingredient – that no amount of money will pay for – FOCUS.

Focus is a VERB, it’s something that only you can do. By maintaining focus, you can significantly reduce marketing frustration and achieve better results. Sure, you can pay someone thousands of dollars and maybe it will keep you on task. But, if new years’ resolutions and gym memberships have taught us anything, it’s that focus is an individual sport.