Why Do Campaigns FAIL?

So, you’re considering working with an advertising agency and you’ve heard all about the incredible wins and the triumphant successes in a sleek, well-designed deck.

100% Guaranteed Results here… 500x Growth Promises there… All sounds too good to be true, right?

The question we hear from you, time and time again is… “What about the failures?”

The answer you expect: “Oh no, that doesn’t happen here”

The CLMG answer - “Sure, we wrote a blog about it.”

With over 10,000 campaigns under the belt, we’ve seen a thing or two when it comes to campaign performance - the good, the bad and the ugly.

We are often asked about how and why campaigns might fail and Interestingly, the root cause often boils down to three things… spend, strategy and expectations.

As a business owner - the last thing you want to do is spend anymore than you need to, right? You’re constantly on the hunt for maximum ROI, whilst keeping your costs down as much as possible. In the simplest terms - you need leads and sales, and you need them ASAP. You want the greatest results in the shortest amount of time (don’t we all?!)

However, have you considered the real cost to your business if your marketing campaigns fail? Not only will you waste time, resources, money and energy - the opportunity cost is huge.

Every month of wasted time and resources, every dollar of wasted money, and every ounce of misplaced effort puts your business behind the eight ball. It’s not just about the lost revenue and sales that has you hurting now, it’s the untapped potential to achieve business growth, whilst your competitors speed up to overtake you.

Which begs the question, why do most marketing campaigns fail and how can you avoid it?

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Potential Campaign Fail #1: Inadequate Media Spend

When it comes to paid advertising, there are two key areas of expenditure; production and media spend. While production requires significant time and effort, the success of a campaign actually hinges on allocating the right media spend to ensure you can achieve your goals.

Social media platforms like Meta (Facebook & Instagram) is highly accessible, and they love to lure small businesses with their $1 a day minimum budget for impression ads and simple, AI-powered automated campaigns.

I can hear you say, “Okay, so I just need to spend more than $1 a day to avoid the trap? That’s easy.”

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If only it were that simple! There’s no universal magic number when it comes to your media spend - it’s about aligning your advertising budget with platform best practice and more importantly, the metrics specific to your business - like the revenue you need to generate, your Cost Per Acquisition, the benchmarks for your industry, your Customer Lifetime Value, your Lead Life Cycle… the list goes on!

Opting for the cheapest advertising options might seem financially prudent, but it can lead to ineffective targeting and wasted resources. After all, if your ads aren't reaching the right audience with the right frequency, they're unlikely to generate the leads and sales your business needs to thrive.

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Potential Campaign Fail #2: Crappy Creative Content

With algorithms increasingly influencing ad performance, it's vital to ensure that your ads resonate with audiences and meet platform standards for engagement.

All social media platforms whether it be Meta, TikTok, LinkedIn, Pinterest or YouTube are geared to prioritise the most engaging content, so it essential to craft ads that stand out amidst the competition, in line with best practice from both a creative and performance standpoint:

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Ensure you capture attention in the first three seconds

The reality is that you have a very short window in which to grab your audience’s attention and keep it. In our saturated mediascape, you’re competing against countless other businesses. In other words, your video ad has to stand out from the crowd and it has to do it straight away - ideally in the first 3 seconds. If you take too long, you’ll be losing viewers faster than you can count. But once you have your audience’s attention, you still have to work to keep it.

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Defining your single-minded proposition

Another mistake we often see is trying to cram too much into your video and losing the main message. Your video ads should be an engaging gateway for customers to explore your offers and brand further, not your entire business in 15 seconds! Before creating your video, identify your target audience and the single-minded proposition that you want to communicate, followed by a clear call-to-action at the end.

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Building trust before you attempt the close

If your video’s main message is buy, buy, buy then you’ve missed the point of social media marketing. You need to warm up your audience, engage them and add value- building trust and credibility along the way. If you don’t add value to your audience, then they’re going to skip, keep scrolling or simply leave the platform.

Just like any good relationship, it is essential to get to know each other first, popping the question when the time is just right - that’s the way to get a guaranteed YES (and not scare them off, reeking of desperation).

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One Size Does Not Fit All - Optimisation is key

You can have a great video, but if you’re not marketing it in the right way, to the right audience, at the right time and on the right platform, then it’s worth nothing. Optimisation is key to successful any ad campaign.

The algorithm is constantly changing, so it’s important to stay up to date with the latest updates and advertising policy changes to ensure that your campaign goes live and stays live.

From TV to Tiktok, different platforms and placements have different specs so ensure you’ve got the right format, size, length and aspect ratio to give your ads the best chance at success.

A well optimised ad has the potential to reach a larger, more receptive audience, ultimately driving down your cost per lead and maximising your return on investment - cutting corners in the short term may cost you in the long term.

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The reality is, the right ad campaign can be an absolute gamechanger for your business when it comes to the all important leads and sales. That's why we created the CLMG Ad Methodology, backed by the latest data insights, to craft ads that not only sell but also resonate with your target audience.

Our approach isn't just about creating ads; it's about optimising your budget, elevating your brand, and delivering tangible results. With a team of experienced social media strategists and creative experts, we've spearheaded over 10,000 successful campaigns, helping businesses like yours achieve their marketing goals.