It is very common (and normal) to encounter marketing problems during the planning, development and finalisation of campaigns. Read on to find out how you can overcome them
Marketing is an industry full of obstacles, but for each of them there is a solution that requires continuous learning, motivation, time and resources. Marketing problems can be found at any stage of any campaign, but they could also be considered challenges. Because we all know that the ultimate goal is to sell more and improve the company's profitability, but the process to achieve it is by no means simple.
The 15 most recurrent marketing problems and how to solve them
how do I find customers? Where is my niche in such a competitive market? These are just two of the most frequently asked questions related to marketing, but there are many more. That is why OCCAM has come up with 15 common marketing problems and possible solutions with hyperlinks to complementary information that can be useful for both veteran companies and start-ups. Let's look at them one by one:
- Not setting goals or setting them incorrectly
Before launching a short- or long-term marketing strategy (such as inbound marketing), it is essential to define clear objectives that you want to achieve. Otherwise, campaigns will probably lose their focus because they are not directed towards a specific goal. The same happens when objectives are set, but incorrectly.
Solution: always write objectives with SMART criteria in mind.
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Failure to differentiate
Regardless of the marketing strategy employed, differentiation of the company from its competitors is essential to ensure that its products are of interest to the public. Moreover, it will facilitate all promotional actions carried out by having clear and easy-to-communicate characteristics.
Solution: it is necessary to find the brand's market segment or niche through innovation, originality and the quality of its services.
- Not targeting a segmented public
It may happen that a company tries to address all types of social profiles or does not choose its ideal target audience. If either of these two cases occurs, it will be much more complicated to find customers interested in the brand and to determine an adapted communication strategy, as it is not the same to address teenagers as it is to address older people, for example.
Solution: study the ideal segmentation for the company and establish a buyer persona.
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Failure to adequately communicate the product or service
This marketing problem is very common in newly founded brands that have to make themselves known through a new product. But to reach the public, it is necessary to be able to explain what it consists of quickly, clearly and simply. In addition, it is necessary to adapt to each segmented group, whether in the tone of the language, the communication channel or the format of the message.
Solution: make an effort to know the product and research it by analysing the competition and talking to the rest of the team. Once this is done, it will be possible to extract its most attractive elements to use them in the communication strategy, which will present its advantages, qualities, values, etc.
- Lack of knowledge of useful techniques and tools
Marketing offers a very broad catalogue of strategies to launch a campaign. Of course, not all of them are equally well known, and a company could be missing out on promotional opportunities by using only traditional techniques instead of others that are more in line with its objectives. The same goes for tools, as platforms such as HubSpot arevery helpful to a company's marketing team.
Solution: discover all the types of marketing that exist and consider the use of tools.
- Complications in finding customers
The above problem is often related to a rather limited reach that does not translate into real customer acquisition, because finding the target audience and attracting their attention is not an easy task.
Solution: launch commercial actions in line with the company's budget and objectives.
- Incorrect pricing strategy
Thanks to differentiation and the establishment of a market niche, the company will not be solely dependent on price competition. Even so, prices must be studied and calculated to the millimetre in order to, at the very least, cover costs.
Solution: create a good pricing strategy according to the 5Cs and with the impact of psychology in mind.
- Lack of budget or overspending
Depending on the size of the company and other variables, the budget will be more or less comfortable. In marketing, the important thing is to make the most of every euro and invest it in those strategies that are viable and most effective. In addition, it is worth highlighting the essential work of planning so as not to exceed the maximum expenditure set and generate a bigger problem.
Solution: make a good marketing budget, opt for commercial actions adapted to it and control spending.
- Disconnections between teams in the same company
It is not uncommon for marketing and sales managers to clash or not to be heading in the same direction. This is a major problem, as the work of the two sectors should be clearly divided, despite their commonalities.
Solution: Convene regular meetings and ensure communication and joint work to align the two teams.
- Insufficient search engine ranking
SEO positioning depends on many factors, all of which must be taken into account to make it easier for potential customers to find information about the company on the Internet. These include responsive design, usability, keywords, writing techniques, etc. Not working on these elements, in addition to harming positioning in search engine results, will worsen the user's experience with the company.
Solution: manage the concepts related to SEO and adapt to them as well as possible.
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Having a high bounce rate on the website
The bounce rate or bounce rate refers to all those users who visit a website and leave it without having interacted, navigated or clicked on internal links. This indicates the amount of potential customers a brand is losing and, with it, sales and profits.
Solution: measure the bounce rate, analyse the source of the problem and improve the website accordingly (with a special focus on visual design).
- Not making the most of social networks
Interaction with users and the possibility of creating a community loyal to the brand depend, for the most part, on social networks, whether Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, Facebook... Companies have to take advantage of their benefits and opportunities which, if done well, are very profitable with little investment. Not doing so would only lead to problems and deficiencies in the customer's experience with the brand.
Solution: establish a good communication strategy with your social profiles and, if possible, hire a community manager .
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Not working on engagement
Captivating users and engaging them with the brand is a long-term, original and constant task, but it is worth it for its benefits. If customers feel part of a company or generate an emotional bond with it, then they will want it to do well, their acquaintances to know about it and buy products regularly, to give three examples.
Solution: make the entire marketing team aware of this concept, follow the advice that works best for the brand and look at success stories for inspiration.
- Poor digital reputation and brand image
Marketing should be concerned about the image it gives outwardly, be it online (reviews or social media), in the media or in private conversations. Make the most of positive opinions and try to address negative ones. A considerable proportion of sales depend on this.
Solution: carry out a brand image study and find solutions to possible shortcomings .
- Failure to analyse results or poor data management
The last marketing problem is, in turn, a conclusion. The time invested in each strategy or commercial action (both offline and online) requires a subsequent study (and follow-up) to check what has worked, what has not, its profitability and whether the objectives have been met. The conclusions derived from this analysis will allow improvements to be made for the future.
Solution: create a results report for each marketing campaign following the steps and using expert tools in data analysis and management.
