There are many steps to running a successful business marketing strategy, and it’s not easy.From generating new customers to using Effective SEO Strategiesthe digital marketing challenges that agencies face can – and often will – be an obstacle to scaling.
We’re taking a deep dive into Wordstream’s 2019 State of the Internet Marketing Agency Report Find out the most common challenges marketers face today and, more importantly, share some advice on how to overcome them.
Challenge #1: Acquiring New Customers
According to the report, 51% of institutions rely on customer testimonials as their main source of new clients.This hasn’t changed much over the years, which makes Create a referral program Easily acquire new customers. However, now more than ever, agencies are also relying on content and digital marketing to grow their customer base.
Generate leads through content marketing is totally doable, but you have to master your content creation and digital marketing approach. In terms of content, start publishing in reputable online marketing publications that you know your audience reads. This will help you expand your reach, further build your authority and credibility in the space, and reach a wider audience.Another strategy is to incorporate co-branding Marketing Webinars Enter your content strategy. Just make sure you work with a brand that has an audience similar to yours so you can benefit from their network.
Another suggestion is to use customer relationship management and Marketing Automation software.Doing this gives you a more complete picture of where your prospects are in their journey so you can send them personalized offers and Content that educates them and guides them down the funnel.
Challenge #2: Retain Existing Customers
30% of agencies have an average client lifespan of only 0-12 months.This is a big problem considering Existing customers spend more and cost less than new customers.
So how do you keep your customers on board longer? Again, it starts with the content. Send resources to existing customers to help them get the most out of your products and services. Send personalized benefits, gifts, and/or exclusive promotions, and use milestones like birthdays and customer anniversaries as excuses to send offers and messages.
Don’t be afraid to change your attitude towards individual clients over time. Get creative with your customer retention strategy, and know that as their plans change, so should yours. If you find that a customer’s package is no longer suitable for them, adjust it – even if it costs less. It’s better to keep customers on lower-tier plans than to lose them entirely.
Challenge #3: Keeping up with ad platform changes
Nearly half of agencies don’t have full-time staff dedicated to paid search, meaning ad platform changes can easily fall through. But your paid search strategy is constrained by the ad platforms you use, and if you can’t keep up, you’ll fall behind.
Make a plan to keep up with the pace of platform changes, whether that means adding this type of research to the roles of existing team members, or setting up an RSS feed so you’re immediately notified and can conduct research yourself.publications such as search engine land, can be a great source for understanding new tools and current trends. Better yet, schedule routine check-ins with your team to discuss what’s working and what’s not working with your paid search strategy. Not only does this make more people accountable for tracking any changes, but it also makes it more likely that you will notice changes sooner rather than later.
Challenge #4: Time Management
After generating new customers, management time are the most common challenges organizations face.This makes sense: there is a lot of When it comes to digital marketing, juggling, while the workload is getting bigger and more complex, teams and spend don’t always keep up.
To make better use of your time, our first piece of advice is to get project management tools. Platforms such as toggle or base camp Can help you organize your to-do list and stay on track, no matter how busy you are.
Some other time management tips:
- Limit yourself the time to do something. When you click on it, stop and move to the next thing in the list before revisiting it. That way, everything runs smoothly and you avoid sitting on a task for too long.
- Divide projects into three categories: this week, next week, and this month. Then prioritize accordingly.
- Request for help! After all, teamwork makes dreams come true, right?
Challenge #5: Recruit and train new employees
Onboarding is crucial, but it is often shelved on more pressing issues. In addition to 11% of agencies expecting growth this year, recruiting and onboarding will remain more important than ever.
The best way to manage this is to ensure that you have created job descriptions for the various roles within your department (which you can update as needed), as well as effective and specific recruiting and training processes. Creating these things ahead of time helps reduce any confusion when hiring and speeds up the process of getting everyone on the same page.
Challenge #6: Unleash the power of data
Your martech stack generates massive amounts of data that you can use to drive personalization and business growth. To unleash the power of this data, you must get five elements right: collect data, gain insight, drive action, and measure results.
However, adapting these processes to unlock the full potential of the data is easier said than done. For example, unifying and cleaning data from internal and external sources can be a real challenge.Statistics show 63% of marketers struggle with unconnected datawhich means they don’t have a complete picture of customer behavior.
Some tips for unlocking the potential of your data include:
- Create a reliable data management platform (DMP))
- Unify internal data with external sources to gain a comprehensive view of each customer.
- Embed analytics into defined process workflows to ensure actionable insights are delivered where they are needed most.
- Hire people with advanced analytical skills to capture and translate insights into action for your team.
Challenge #7: Increase Email Engagement
Email Marketing Can Provide 3600% Return on Investment (ROI). However, you have to increase email open rates, engagement and conversion rates to get that ROI.Sadly, a huge 56% of marketers report increased email engagement is their biggest challenge.
If you’re struggling to increase email engagement, your approach to this form of communication could be the problem. Subscribers today use emails that resonate with their needs and preferences—targeted, personalized, and valuable emails. If engagement rates drop, your message could be the culprit.
62% of savvy marketers claim personalization is the key to increasing email engagement.
Take the time to get to know your subscribers and understand their interests, needs and preferences. Find out what device they use to read email, their time zone, and the best time to send email. Doing so will help you send more engaging, personalized, and timely emails.
Challenge #8: Understanding Metrics
As a marketer, part of your job is to define goals and ensure they are achieved. While this sounds simple, it can be complicated, especially if the team doesn’t understand the key performance indicators (KPIs) for marketing success.
Case in point: Email marketers know that if subscribers don’t open their emails, their campaigns are bound to fail. That is, they don’t honk when email open rates increase. Why? Because an increase in open rates doesn’t necessarily mean an increase in revenue; what really connects action to revenue is conversion rate.
Remember that anecdotal metrics like organic traffic growth and click-through rate are important. However, you must specify financial goals and measure ROI to get the best benefit from each activity. Beyond that, follow these basic rules when deciding which metrics to track:
- Explain metrics to the team so that they are easy to understand and use
- Make sure the indicator is easy to reproduce.
- Collect internal data and back it up with external sources so that every metric provides useful, actionable insights that impact the business
If you know what you’re up against, the challenge can’t be too big. Come into the year with new plans to tackle some of your biggest digital marketing challenges.
