Why Most Business Owners Are Missing The Mark In Marketing & Getting Customers

When people start marketing, they often focus solely on generating leads, assuming that all leads will become customers. In my previous newsletter, “Lead Generation ≠ Customers,” I explained why this is not always the case.

This confusion arises because people don’t fully understand the objectives of their marketing campaigns. While all marketing campaigns can generate leads and maybe even sales, not every campaign’s primary objective is to do so.

Today in 7 minutes or less:

📌 Why Could Your Marketing Objective Cause You To Be Missing Your Mark

📌 Understanding the Marketing Funnel and Its Connection to Marketing Objectives

📌 Preparing for Your Next Marketing Campaign: Key Steps To Get Results

What is a Marketing Objective and Why You Might Be Missing Your Mark

Ever kicked off a marketing campaign with high hopes, only to feel let down by the results? It’s a common experience, often due to misunderstanding or overlooking the true marketing objective of the campaign.

What do I mean by that?

When most people think of getting more customers, they jump straight into a lead generation campaign, believing that more leads automatically mean more sales.

This is where many business owners stumble—expecting that leads will naturally convert into customers. This reflects a poorly managed understanding of what your true marketing objective really is.

But there’s more to consider.

If you’re running a lead generation campaign, while you can get some customers in the process, your primary goal is to get leads.

But that’s not the whole story.

Are we after leads who are just curious? Or do we want leads who need to be educated about the problem we’re solving? Or do we want leads who are ready to consider making a purchasing decision?

We need to be super clear about these details. It’s not just about getting leads cheaply; it’s about understanding the real objective of your campaign. To really nail this down, we have to dive into the marketing funnel.

Understanding the Marketing Funnel and Its Connection to Marketing Objectives

Understanding the marketing funnel and its connection to your marketing objectives is crucial for guiding potential customers through their journey. Let’s dive into the story of John and Tesla to understand more!

The Story of John and Tesla

Meet John. He’s starting to notice that his gasoline car is expensive to maintain and fill up. Plus, he's becoming more environmentally conscious. So, he begins thinking about switching to an electric vehicle. Tesla catches his eye with online ads and social media posts that highlight the benefits of electric vehicles and introduce their brand.

John dives into research mode, learning about Tesla’s models. He reads reviews, watches videos, and explores Tesla’s website to get a feel for their features and benefits. Tesla provides detailed info about their models, emphasizing things like long-range batteries, Autopilot, and zero emissions, which really capture John's interest.

John narrows down his choices to a few Tesla models. He visits a Tesla showroom, takes a test drive, and compares the features, prices, and benefits of each model. Tesla makes it easy for him to see what sets their cars apart, like cutting-edge technology and superior range.

Finally, John decides on a Tesla Model 3 and heads to the Tesla dealership or website to place his order. Tesla ensures the buying process is smooth, offering easy online ordering, financing options, and home delivery to seal the deal.

Explanation and Connection to Marketing Objectives

John's journey shows the stages of the marketing funnel—Awareness, Interest, Desire, and Action. Tesla guides him through these stages using ideas from Eugene Schwartz in his book “Breakthrough Advertising.” Schwartz’s five levels of awareness match these stages closely.

• Awareness: John realizes he has a problem (high costs and environmental impact) and starts thinking about a more sustainable solution. Tesla introduces their brand and educates John about the benefits of electric vehicles.

• Interest: John is actively looking for solutions and researching electric cars. Tesla gives him detailed information about their models to get him interested.

• Desire/Consideration: John looks at his options and starts to like a specific Tesla model. Tesla points out what makes their cars special to help John decide.

• Action: John is ready to buy. Tesla makes the buying process easy to complete the sale.

Just like John, there are many people at different stages of this journey. Some of you might be just becoming aware of your problem, while others are ready to buy.

This process doesn't just apply to buying a Tesla; it can be for any product in the market. People are constantly going through these stages of decision-making.

Lead generation can happen at any stage of the funnel. For example:

• Early Stage: Tesla might offer a guide like “The Ultimate Guide to Understanding Electric Vehicles” to attract people who are just starting to explore electric cars. This helps catch the interest of people at the beginning of their journey and gives Tesla a chance to nurture them.
  

• Later Stage: Tesla could offer a deal like “Get $1,000 Off Your New Tesla Model 3—Order Today!” to attract people who are ready to make a decision. This type of offer appeals to those ready to buy and encourages them with immediate savings.

These examples show how knowing your marketing objective shapes your strategy:

• Lead Magnet Approach: Focuses on educating and building relationships over time, aiming to get leads at the awareness and interest stages.

• Discount-Based Offer: Aims to get customers quickly and drive sales, targeting those in the desire and action stages.

By clearly understanding your marketing objective, you can set realistic goals and tailor your campaigns effectively. This ensures you’re not just getting leads but also turning them into paying customers.

Preparing for Your Next Marketing Campaign: Key Steps to get Results

So… how do you achieve great results for your next marketing campaign? It starts with clear and specific planning.

1. Identify Your Marketing Objective

   Before starting any marketing campaign, identify your marketing objective. Be specific.
   
   Example: I will run a lead magnet campaign to attract users interested in the benefits of electric cars. The objective is to create awareness and generate broad lead generation appeal.
   

   Goal: Capture more leads to fill the sales funnel and create a nurturing campaign to educate them over the next 6-12 months, allowing them to make informed decisions about buying our cars.
   

2. Hypothesize Results

   Set clear expectations for your campaign.

   
   Example: I aim to acquire leads at $10 to $12 each and convert at least 5% of these leads into discovery calls to understand their needs.
   

   Goal: Acquire 1,000 leads over the next 3 months at an average cost of $10 to $12 per lead.

By setting these expectations, you have a benchmark to measure your success.

This doesn’t end here, as you are running a business and aim to make a profit. You will need to design the sales process to guide these leads through the funnel effectively, converting them into customers.

To find out more about how to design your sales process, I have put together a full video course to help you build your growth system to acquire customers and not just leads). Join our community to get your free course!

Conclusion

Remember, every marketing campaign should start with a clear objective and an understanding of where your potential customers are in their journey. By doing so, you can set accurate expectations, measure your success, and continuously refine your strategy to drive long-term growth.

It's not about hoping that your lead will become a customer but having clear, actionable steps to achieve the results you’ve always wanted.