Marketing stagnation is a common pitfall for businesses. It’s the proverbial quicksand where the more you struggle with the same old strategies, the deeper you sink.
So if you’re feeling stuck, how do you “unstuck” your marketing strategy?
In this post, we’ll take a look at what causes stagnation and go through several tactics to revive and refresh your strategy so you can start growing again.
Unveiling the Cause of Stagnation
Before we discuss how to refresh a marketing strategy, let’s identify the root cause of stagnation.
If your marketing is stuck, in most cases, the reason is because your marketing team is doing the same old stuff that you’ve been doing for ages. Although these strategies might have once produced significant results, with increased competition and the ever-evolving digital landscape, they’re probably not performing as well as they used to.
Another reason may be that the channels you’re focusing on are diminishing. For instance, you used to get a lot of traffic from Instagram, but then their algorithm changed and now you just don’t get the same reach.
If you’re experiencing such scenarios, it’s a sign that your marketing strategy has hit a plateau, and it’s time to boost stagnant marketing efforts so you can increase sales.
A Tactical Approach to Overcoming Marketing Plateau
When you realize that you’re dealing with stagnation, it’s time to revise your marketing strategy.
One effective way to do this is by drafting a grid that maps out all your current marketing channels and those that you’ve not yet utilized. You can create a simple spreadsheet or categorize the channels into high/low volume/ROI or any other way that makes sense to you.
This grid can function as a visual strategic tool to help you assess and improve your marketing approach in three ways:
- Visualizing Your Marketing Ecosystem. With each marketing channel mapped out, you’ll have a comprehensive snapshot of where your efforts are concentrated. Are you overly focused on one particular channel, like social media or email marketing, while neglecting others? An exhaustive map can expose such disparities, giving you the opportunity to re-distribute your efforts more evenly and effectively.
- New Channel Exploration. Your grid also highlights new marketing channels ripe for exploration. These could be platforms, tools or audience segments that you haven’t tapped into yet. Perhaps you’ve been hesitant to delve into video content, or maybe you’ve overlooked a growing demographic on a particular social media platform.
- Critical Examination of Existing Strategies. Assess the success of each strategy by looking at the relevant data and analytics. Are certain channels underperforming or over-performing? Is there a reason for this, and how can this information guide your revised strategy?
By identifying these untapped channels, you create an opportunity to broaden your reach and potentially boost stagnant marketing efforts.
Refreshing Old Marketing Campaigns
Part of the plan to revive stagnant marketing involves reinvigorating your existing channels. Instead of focusing on what used to work, you need to experiment with these platforms using new strategies.
This doesn’t simply mean doing more of what has worked in the past. Rather, it requires a bold re-imagination of your strategies on these platforms, enabling you to approach them with a fresh perspective.
Instead of always chasing new content (hunting), why not maximize what you already have (farming)?
This is often easier and less exhausting than continually trying to come up with new ideas.
The Power of Content Refreshing
A fundamental part of this strategy involves a drastic shift in your approach to content creation. If you have been primarily focusing on producing a large volume of new content, such as blog posts, you may find yourself stuck in a rut, spinning out content that no longer resonates with your audience or aligns with their evolving needs and interests.
Instead of persisting with this potentially ineffective strategy, consider pressing pause on the creation of new content. Take this opportunity to revitalize old marketing campaigns by revisiting and refreshing your existing content. This could mean:
- Fix incorrect or outdated information
- Add images/graphs/videos
- Refresh examples
- Include current stats and facts
- Add new insights, data or developments in your industry
- Mention influencers
- Add a content upgrade
- Write a CTA
- Link to one or two other posts in your blog
Refreshing your old content isn’t just about making it relevant again — it’s also an excellent way to improve marketing effectiveness. Search engines value up-to-date and comprehensive content, so revising your old posts can lead to improved SEO rankings, which in turn can drive more organic traffic to your site.
Additionally, your past content might have already gained some authority or visibility in search engines. By updating these pieces, you’re building upon already established SEO equity, rather than starting from scratch with new content.
Dive Deeper: Why You Should Update Content – Or Risk Losing The Traffic You Have [Case Study]
Repurposing Content into Different Formats
Apart from updating the content, consider repurposing your old posts as well. Diversifying your content formats also allows you to reach different segments of your audience who prefer consuming content in different ways.
Here are some examples of how to repurpose your content:
- Create blog posts: Convert your existing articles, guides or long-form content into blog posts. You can break down the main points, add visuals and optimize them for SEO to reach a wider audience.
- Develop infographics: Condense complex information from your content into visually appealing infographics. This helps make the content more shareable on social media and can attract a different audience segment.
- Produce videos or video series: Transform your written content into video format. You can create explainer videos, tutorials or even video series that offer insights and tips from your existing content.
- Design SlideShare presentations: Turn your content into SlideShare presentations. This platform allows you to showcase your expertise, share valuable insights and reach professionals in your industry.
- Craft email newsletters: Repurpose your content into a newsletter format. Summarize key points, add visuals and link back to the original content on your website. This helps keep your audience engaged and informed.
- Compile e-books or white papers: Combine related articles or blog posts into comprehensive e-books or white papers. This can be used as a lead magnet to gather email subscribers or to offer in-depth resources to your audience.
- Create podcasts or audio content: Transform your written content into audio format, such as podcasts or audio snippets. This allows you to reach an audience that prefers audio consumption and repurpose your content for a different medium.
- Generate social media posts: Take snippets or quotes from your content and turn them into social media posts. Add engaging visuals, ask questions or encourage discussions to drive engagement and direct users to your full content.
The strategy of reinvigorating your old marketing campaigns can give you a powerful boost in your quest to overcome marketing stagnation. By refreshing and repurposing your old content, you can breathe new life into your marketing efforts.
Dive Deeper: Absolutely Everything You Need to Know About 10x Content
Experimenting with New Marketing Techniques
Experimentation should also extend to your advertising campaigns. If you’ve been fine-tuning your ads, why not try creating a remarkable landing page video? Allocate a portion of your budget to produce something unique and engaging.
The idea is to do something dramatic and drastic with your existing channels because these platforms have proven to be effective in the past. The challenge is to reignite them with more creative and remarkable strategies to captivate your audience. For instance…
Engaging Video Content
One powerful method to infuse new energy into your marketing is by creating a standout landing page video. Videos have a unique way of engaging audiences with their dynamic and immersive nature. They can simplify complex information, narrate a compelling story, and even stir strong emotions.
Take, for instance, the famous “Dollar Shave Club” video. It was a game-changer, not just for the brand but for the entire realm of digital advertising. The video is a fun, quirky and immensely memorable pitch of their product, setting the brand apart in a saturated market.
By allocating a part of your budget to create something equally unique, you can significantly boost your marketing efforts.
Dive Deeper: 18 Engaging Video Content Types that People Love to Watch
Interactive Marketing
Interactive marketing is another innovative strategy to rejuvenate your existing channels. This involves creating content or features that require the users’ active engagement, such as quizzes, surveys, interactive videos or even augmented reality experiences.
For example, IKEA’s augmented reality app, IKEA Place, lets customers see how furniture would look and fit in their own space. This unique, interactive marketing technique not only provides valuable assistance to customers, but also creates a memorable user experience that can increase brand loyalty.
User-Generated Content
Finally, consider leveraging user-generated content. UGC can take many forms, from reviews and testimonials to user-created photos, videos or other content related to your brand.
An excellent example of this is Lush Cosmetics‘ “#LushLife” campaign. The company encourages its customers to share photos of their Lush products or their experiences in Lush stores using the hashtag #LushLife on social media platforms:
This UGC not only generates a wealth of content that the company can share on its official channels, but it also helps build a community of loyal customers and fans. It turns customers into brand advocates, which can significantly amplify your brand’s reach and influence.
GoPro, one of the best small action cameras, does UGC seriously well. They kickstarted this marketing strategy by hiring professional stuntmen to film extreme sports with the GoPro, which led to 6,000+ UGC videos being uploaded to their YouTube channel every day:
The goal here is not just about trying something new, but to undertake a significant and dramatic shift in your marketing approach. After all, these existing channels have proven to be effective in the past, so the challenge is to find innovative ways to reignite them and elevate your marketing effectiveness.
The Importance of Messaging and Offers
Another key to reviving stagnant marketing and boosting marketing performance is the role of messaging – particularly your headlines, sub-headlines and offer.
Changing up your headlines and sub-headlines can make a significant difference. And an enticing offer can be a game-changer. These elements, when crafted with thought and imagination, can significantly improve your marketing effectiveness.
Revitalizing Headlines and Sub-headlines
Your headlines and subheadings are the first elements that your potential customers interact with. They serve as the bait that draws in the reader and convinces them to engage with your content further.
For example, the cosmetic brand Glossier excels at creating engaging headlines. They often use powerful and emotive phrases like “Skincare first, makeup second” and “Beauty inspired by real life”:
These headlines immediately communicate the brand’s ethos and its unique approach to cosmetics, piquing the curiosity of potential customers.
It’s essential to continuously refresh these elements to maintain their effectiveness. A/B testing headlines can offer valuable insights into what resonates best with your audience, allowing you to continuously refine and improve your messaging.
Power of a Compelling Offer
In addition to strong messaging, your offer is a crucial tool to capture and retain your audience’s attention. It’s not just about what you’re selling, but how you’re selling it. Your offer needs to be compelling enough that it convinces your target audience that they need your product or service.
A classic example is Domino’s Pizza’s offer: “You get fresh, hot pizza delivered to your door in 30 minutes or less — or it’s free.” This offer is clear, compelling and provides a guarantee, thereby creating a strong incentive for customers to choose Domino’s.
Another great example is Zappos’ free shipping and 365-day return policy, an offer that they display everywhere, not just on their shipping page:
This offer directly addresses common customer concerns about buying shoes online — fitting and return policies. As a result, it has played a significant role in establishing Zappos as a leading online shoe retailer.
Constantly refining your headlines and subheadings and creating compelling offers can help rejuvenate stagnant marketing, improve marketing effectiveness, and drive more traffic and see better conversion rates for your business.
Zig When Others Zag
The key to overcoming the marketing plateau and seeing more growth in customers and revenue lies in innovating your existing channels, experimenting with new strategies, and continually capturing your audience’s attention.
How do you get unstuck when it comes to your marketing efforts?
It’s about zigging when others zag, embracing innovation, and doing something new and different. Often, the channels that once worked for you stop delivering because audiences get used to your tactics. So, shake things up. Change your approach. Make your brand memorable.
If you’re ready to grow your business, Single Grain’s marketing & growth experts can help!👇
Repurposed from our Marketing School podcast.
