Why marketing is hard (and how to make it easy).
Algorithms, new technology, changing trends - ugh, marketing can be complicated and confusing.
There are so many marketing things coming.
You're convinced you must be everywhere to grow your revenue, trying to do everything.
But you're not sure what's really working.
That's when marketing is hard.
It reminds me of a story.
In 2015, I started working with a Vacation Rental company managing over 100+ properties.
They had been checking the marketing boxes.
They had a website, email marketing, social media, SEO, digital partnerships, and a huge Google Ads budget.
They had all of the marketing boxes checked - done ✅
There is a difference between done and optimized.
The Vacation Rental business team realized they weren't seeing expected returns on investment or revenue growth.
Checking the boxes ✅ wasn’t working.
So, they thought they had to increase their budget to be more effective.
They were uncertain about what to do. Spend more money on existing campaigns or get some help.
I joined their team as a fractional marketing contractor to help them formulate a plan to increase their revenues and returns on marketing dollars spent.
While reviewing their activities and expenses, it became clear that their approach was what I like to call “spray and pray.”
Spray the marketing activities around.
Pray that they work.
It’s a strategy, all right, just never the right one.
I first noticed that nearly 60% of the Google Ads click-throughs left the homepage after 3 seconds.
What? Yikes!
I immediately clawed back the Google Ads spend and directed my efforts into a website update to optimize the look-to-book ratio, aka conversions.
I am sure you agree that spending good money on paid ads only to have people leave isn't a great way forward.
Yet, I see this a lot when working with hotels.
As a former General Manager, I remember thinking I needed a larger budget to grow revenue.
You've heard the saying, "You gotta spend money to make money."
There's some truth to that, but spending money first is out of order.
What makes marketing ineffective
A lack of clarity makes marketing ineffective, not a lack of money.
To conclude the story, the vacation rental company diverted its paid ad budget into a website overhaul.
They saw conversions increase from all revenue sources, and with that came more revenue.
They continue to benefit from that investment to this day, 9 years later.
Clarity + Optimization = Higher Conversions/More Revenue
💲You don't need more money for paid ads if your website isn't optimized.
💲You don't need more money for email marketing if your message isn't clear.
💲You don't need more money for social media if your mobile experience is full of friction points.
When revenue falls short, or your forecast looks grim, ask yourself 🤔…
1. Have I optimized our current marketing activities?
2. Am I getting the most out of what we currently do?
3. Do you know your brand, message, and who you serve?
Answer these 3 questions, and then you can add more budget.
Not the other way around.
What is your next move?
If you are uncertain or unsure how to make your marketing more effective, I have something to share.
The Revenue Roadmap: Scorecard and Strategy Map for Maximum Returns.
We recently piloted the Revenue Roadmap with a houseboat company in Shuswap, BC, which is getting ready for the busy booking season.
After I completed a full evaluation, I met with them. In two hours, we reviewed a comprehensive scorecard and detailed recommendations, including resources for implementation.
It took a load off their plate and gave them insights and tools to move forward.
Here's what they had to say.
"This is exactly what we needed. Having a clear direction is key."
and
"Actionable, effective. Christine is an exceptionally effective communicator on marketing-related topics and initiatives and excels at articulating what sometimes should be obvious but often is not."
The Revenue Roadmap is ready to go - click here to check it out.