“Success is a function of managing expectations.”

– Unknown

What’s one of the biggest (if not the biggest) reasons why marketing endeavors fail?

In short… Lack of expressly stated goal.

The tactics are always crystal clear…

• “Let’s create a new website!”
• “Let’s launch an email marketing campaign!”
• “Let’s start promoting our business on social media!”

All of which sounds great and holds the potential to grow your business.

But what happens when…

• You launch the new site, but no one comments, no new traffic arrives, and nothing really happens.
• You click send on the email campaign, and loads of recipients open your message, but no one replies.
• You put your business out there on social media, but you see zero engagement in response.

Of course, all of these outcomes are disappointing.

But before deciding to implement these tactics, did the initiators stop to ask themselves… “What’s my desired result here?”

When you launch a new website, are you looking to…

== > Increase site traffic?

== > Generate more leads?

== > Increase conversions?

When you launch an email marketing campaign, are you looking to…

== > Increase open rates?

== > Increase replies?

== > Increase conversions?

When you promote your business on social media, are you looking to…

== > Increase engagement?

== > Generate leads?

== > Increase conversions?

If you’re pursuing any of these marketing tactics, and you haven’t asked yourself these questions, your efforts are apt to fail.

And this is primarily because you don’t know how to measure the “success” of your tactics.

Of course, the end-game is increasing revenue, but…

Marketing is rarely, if ever, a straight line for Point A (tactics) to Point Z (sales). Typically, you need to guide prospects through Points B, C, D, and so on through to Point Y before earning their business.

That means each marketing tactic needs to be positioned as one step toward the final result — earning a sale. And in turn, each tactic needs to be executed to achieve a specific goal.

Case Study: How NOT to do Social Media Marketing

Here’s a quick case study in social media marketing to further illustrate the points above…

Some real estate clients of mine recently got very excited about social media marketing. They insist their social presence is underwhelming, and they need to be far more active.

So, I asked them the big question… Why?

Well, they pointed out that all of the competitors are on social, many of whom boast hundreds and even thousands of followers.

Also, they often see new listings and recent sales promoted on social.

Based on this response, their reason seems to be… Everyone else is doing it, so they should, too.

Now, don’t get me wrong here. There are plenty of credible reasons to market your business on social media. But “because everyone else is doing it” is not one of them.

Moreover, diving into social media marketing simply to match your competitors is not driven by a specific goal.

As a result, you could spend thousands of hours and plenty of money on social media marketing, only to wind up seeing no discernable results.

Struggling to Create Specific + Measurable Marketing Goals?

You’re not alone in this regard. Far too many businesses spend untold hours and towering sums of cash on failed marketing efforts. And all because they haven’t established a clear, measurable goal that defines the success of their efforts.

But your marketing efforts don’t have to wind up in the same trash heap. And I can help you avoid this disastrous end! So, let’s chat… 310.466.7893 | ryan@ryananys.com