Ever feel like your online marketing efforts are a shot in the dark? You’re not alone.
In fact, 73% of business owners aren’t confident in their marketing strategies. What’s more, 81% are concerned about the weight of the current economy on their wallets. Instead of business growth, there’s unease—a looming recession, cooling inflation, and a de facto industrial revolution.
Yes, we’re looking at you, Artificial Intelligence (AI).
But before we get all “Rage Against the Machine(s),” remember this: innovation is born out of necessity. The good news? With the right approach, marketing challenges become the catalyst for spectacular business growth.
Let’s tackle the five biggest online marketing challenges and turn apprehension into opportunity.
Marketing Challenge No. 1: Dreaming Big on a Small Budget
The Reality:
Marketing budgets are shrinking. A Gartner survey shows a 15% spiral over fiscal years 2023 and 2024. Between resource constraints and rising advertising costs, B2B and B2C companies attest it’s harder to command clout.
The Solution:
Lean into digital business growth. First, it’s usually cheaper than traditional, pay-to-play advertising streams. Note which platform(s) your customers spend time on and invest targeted dollars there. Hard stop!
Second, explore performance marketing across socials with the help of an outsourced marketing partner. Determine your campaign objectives and outline what success looks like, actionable campaign outcomes (e.g. garnered clicks, leads, sales).
Lastly, consider simplifying and bundling your offerings to shave fees and stretch reach (both paid and organic).
Marketing Challenge No. 2: Boosting Brand Awareness
The Reality:
Let’s face it—the market is crowded. Established brands will dominate 80% of direct-to-consumer e-commerce sales by 2025. What’s more, over 110,000 startups in the direct-to-consumer category emerged in 2023, alone. Standing out in this competitive landscape is tough, especially for independent retailers and small businesses.
The Solution:
An optimized website is your best marketing tool for business growth. Use SEO (search engine optimization) strategies to improve your visibility across Google search results. Create helpful content to showcase your expertise via blogs, landing pages, product descriptions, podcasts, or videos.
PRO TIP: Become a guest blogger publishing articles across external yet credible sites. Simultaneously embed backlinks to your website to encourage exposure, traffic, and overall business growth. For instance, the digital editions of Forbes, Thrive Global, and Medium are accessible avenues to do so.
And just think… web pages become cached over time, making them—and you—exceedingly discoverable. Above all, listen to audience feedback and be ready to pivot your products to meet customer needs.
Marketing Challenge No. 3: Generating High-Quality Leads
The Reality:
High-quality lead generation (accruing potential customers) is steeped in traditional tactics, like paid or sponsored ads. However, periodic platform updates from Google and Facebook can affect your business’s visibility without warning.
This, as they say, often lends diminishing returns.
The Solution:
Don’t put all your eggs in one (social media) basket. Prioritize creating and distributing quality content across several targeted platforms. For example, create a monthly blog on your website with industry tips or case studies to provide value to your audience. Include CTAs (calls to action) within the content to guide readers to take the next step, such as downloading a resource, signing up for a newsletter, or requesting a demo. Then you can use this original content for social advertising purposes or even organic social.
Blog content works well in Reels, Stories, and even static posts. Ensure your blog posts are optimized with relevant keywords, meta descriptions, and internal links. By consistently creating high-quality content and strategically using CTAs, lead magnets, and promotional tactics, you can turn your blog into a powerful lead-generation tool.
Marketing Challenge No. 4: Mastering Digital Marketing Trends
The Reality:
Staying on top of emerging trends, platforms, and technologies—like AI—is critical. But if you’re like most business owners, you may doubt your marketing skills. It takes time to keep up with the constantly evolving digital landscape. Time you may not have if your business is pulling you in a million directions.
The Solution:
Start small. Subscribe to newsletters touting the latest trends. “The Share is One Part Social’s monthly roundup of marketing advice. ⬅️ See what we did there… insert an internal backlink to another page on our website.
Always provide an open loop, coaxing the customer along their journey.
Oh, and shameless plug: we’d love to have you as a subscriber (the above is our sign-up link). Okay, back to our regularly scheduled topic…
Next, watch competitors to spot new tools in your industry. And as your confidence grows, consider enrolling in online courses to refine your knowledge. Bringing in an affordable marketing agency can also be a game changer.
Need a recommendation? Our #trueblue team provides expert help so you can focus on what you do best 😉.
Marketing Challenge No. 5: Diving into Data Analytics
The Reality:
As businesses grow, relying solely on customer feedback won’t cut it. Yet, many B2Bs and B2Cs grapple with collecting, analyzing, and pivoting their approach based on the data at hand. Trying to measure the impact of marketing efforts can feel like trying to catch a cloud—elusive, imprecise, even unsubstantial.
The Solution:
Harness the power of analytics tools to gather deeper insights. Study how effective your individual campaigns are and compile monthly reporting to measure efficacy. Before a big launch, use data-driven insights to fine-tune your strategies.
The best part of digging into data is that it provides dotted—line disclosure of what works and what doesn’t. And that, my friend, gives you a strong case for a leaner, if not bigger, marketing budget.
Learning what “speaks to” your audience takes the guesswork out of your next move. Now that’s living on cloud nine… nothing elusive about it.
Business Growth is Possible. Ready to Take Control?
At One Part Social, we see every marketing challenge as an opportunity in disguise. Our #trueblue solutions are designed to help you seize innovation and market share.
Ready to transform your online marketing strategy and accelerate business growth? Let’s chat about forging a revenue-generating, recession-proof plan and blaze a revolution of your own!