5 Reasons Why Most Company Advertising Campaigns Fail

A failed advertising campaign will not only have a negative impact on your brand image, it could set your company far back financially. Regardless of what stage you’re in with developing your campaign, it’s important to thoroughly evaluate it and avoid common mistakes. Here are five reasons why most company advertising campaigns fail:

Reason #1: Sales Teams Fail to Follow Up

Many sales teams miss out on sales opportunities because they fail to follow up with potential customers. As soon as a lead from your campaign makes contact, follow up immediately. Don’t allow potential customers to sift through your fingers. Studies show that contacts made within hours have much higher success rates.

Reason #2: The Advertisement Doesn’t Offer a Benefit.

Many companies invest a lot of time and energy into their advertisement campaigns, only to miss the mark because they fail to feature the ‘benefits’ of their products/services. Some campaigns focus too much on the actual features of a product/service instead of the benefits of using the products.

For example, a printing company’s ad campaign that focuses on the creative aspects of printing instead of the benefits (i.e. higher quality, lower costs, faster turn-arounds, etc.) will lose people’s interest. It’s important to understand that a company doesn’t purchase printing products because they need creative marketing materials. People buy to fulfill a need or want. Consider what benefits you provide to your customers. Will using your product make their life less stressful? Will it save them time and money? An effective advertisement will produce good results when it is associated with a benefit.

Reason #3: Choosing the Wrong Target Audience.

Have you ever launched an ad campaign only to hear crickets? This usually happens when a company fails to determine its real target audience. Oftentimes, a marketer will say his/her target audience is ‘everyone’ …that’s way too broad.  To help determine your true target audience, ask yourself the following questions:

What are all the industries/markets that have use for your product or service?

Who are the key decision-makers (job titles) within the company you are trying to reach?

What does your ideal client look like (i.e. demographic, gender, socio-economic status, age, etc.)?

Reason #4: Placing Web Design on the Back Burner

Some companies place all of their attention on ad campaigns, and neglect their websites. For example, a marketer that focuses on creating marketable ad copy may gain a substantial amount of web traffic, but struggle to achieve his/her conversion goals. Before launching any ad campaign, make sure your company’s website is well-designed and easy to navigate. It is essential that your web copy is relevant to your target audience.

Quick Tip: Make sure to avoid using complicated user forms. If your goal is to capture leads from your website, your user forms should be easy to fill out.

Reason #5: Failure to Give a Campaign Adequate Time

It can be discouraging when you invest time and energy into a campaign that doesn’t generate the results you had planned. It is important to give your advertising campaign a sufficient amount of time to flourish. You can overcome this obstacle by setting clear goals and timelines, prior to your campaign’s launch. Focus on your desired results and worst case scenario results.

Hopefully, the five reasons above will help give you a jumpstart to a successful advertising campaign.