Author: Abdullah Khan

How to build a High Performance Marketing Team? 11 Points.

“How to build a High Performance Marketing Team”, Have you been asking yourself this question? I hope I am able to answer it through this guide.

Building high performance marketing team is among my favorite topics to discuss and share my ideas.

Throughout my career, I’ve come across, built and dealt with marketing team of all sizes for multitude of goals and business models.

Through this read, you will get divine revelation about building a marketing team that will hit those numbers you so dearly love.

First, let’s dissect what is a high performance marketing team?

Performance is whatever you define as your KPI (key-performance indicators), OKR (objectives and key results), goals.

Performance could be sales, leads, downloads, plays, in-app purchases and dozen of other things.

What’s important here is to understand that small performance leads to bigger performances.

Think like this, small performance is a micro win. Lot of micro wins will get you one big shiny win. These micro wins are important to achieve.

Now, enough with the philosophical lecture, let’s get into the real stuff.

1- Hiring right people

Easy to say, but it needs a real talented person to find diamond in the dirt. Anyone can pay big price to hire the ones who appear shiny, but it’s difficult to pay reasonable price to hire someone who is trustable, smart and hard working individual.

2- Leadership traits

Lead from the front. Be kind, share your wisdom.

3- Moving fast

Even though Confucius said, “it doesn’t matter how slow you go unless you don’t stop”, but it doesn’t always work like that, what it’s saying is that go but don’t lose momentum. You need to move fast, but make sure that you are not running in the wrong direction.

4- Bad news first

Build a culture of sharing bad news first, that it’s okay to fail. Many times, some bad bug can go under the rug and after some time that rug will be pulled from down under so it’ll be more costly than. Let your people know they are brilliant and it’s okay if something goes wrong.

5- Avoiding band wagon

Again, don’t run in the wrong direction for very very short term gain. Put simple logic to use and go after what will matter in the long run.

6- Give autonomy

Enable your marketers by giving them freedom.

7- Share right tools

Not saying to give all the expensive tools but work with them what they exactly need, ask them for suggestions, then buy for them. You can even tell them you will use tools in a testing phase and performance will decide if you will keep those tools or retire them.

8- Share the vision

If you are building a baseball game, or a CRM for big sales company or whatever, share your vision, let people know what you see in 1 year or 10 year. Give them a reason to work everyday and keep moving forward. You need to paint the picture of the vision that is mutual and respected.

9- Culture

It’s not always about building the culture, sometimes it’s about respecting people’s internal individual traits and you try to make yourself more comfortable with them. Make no exception for delivering on time, gratitude and being on time. Other than that, it doesn’t matter if they dress differently than you or whatever individual traits they have.

10- Handful of rules / play by them

Create a fixed set of rules that you can easily put on a single paper based on few points. Tell people, these are the rules, and they need to play under those guidelines. They will have autonomy to do anything but without breaking the rules.

11- Don’t chase the tail

Don’t try to make lot of progress and get no where.

Lot of Website Traffic but no Customers? 20+ Reasons and Solutions

Lot of website traffic but no customers, sales, leads or conversions?

Let me tell you that you’re in Luck!

Why Luck?

Because, you’ve already taken care of half of the problem. There are millions of businesses who have less to no online traffic, but you managed to get lot of traffic, so props to you.

Now you are left with the other half of the problem to solve.

The problem of conversions and conversion rate e.g. sales, leads, customers, downloads.

Conversion for each business is different.

If you are b2b, it’ll be leads and sales.

If you are SaaS, it’ll be paid users.

If you are ecommerce, it’ll be paid customers, and high basket value.

Don’t worry, the reasons and solutions I am going to show will cover your problems also.

All of these signals can directly relate to any type of business and can also be taken separately. These reasons and solutions are in no chronological order so you can be creative and apply your own logic.

Reason No. 1 – Poor Website Design:

Problem: For your potential customer, a Poor website design translates into vendor being not reliable, not quality, not trustable, not widely used, not the best in class. Now, I am not saying to build an award winning website, all I am saying is that just reach the above average benchmark where your design incites trust and reliability.

Solution: Redesign the website to improve user experience, navigation, ease of use, visual hierarchy and visual appeal.

Reason No. 2 – Complicated Checkout Process:

Problem: Whether in ecommerce or SaaS, your checkout process is too difficult. This can be pre-checkout or during check-out.

Solution: Simplify the checkout process by reducing the number of steps and offering guest checkout options. You can also try to remove plans and packages that makes it too difficult to decide.

Reason No. 3 – Lack of Trust Signals:

Problem: You can’t make yourself (brand, website etc) appear trustable.

Solution: Add trust signals such as customer testimonials, certifications, leadership info, team members, security badges (especially for transactions), and guarantees to build trust with visitors.

Reason No. 4 – Poorly Targeted Advertising:

Problem: Are you wasting your money or spending it on ads? There’s a difference. Stats and fancy presentations can paint a fancy picture that might not be the complete truth. Whatever your goal is, brand awareness, transactions, upsell etc – make sure, your ad money translates into OKRs (objectives and key results)

Solution: Refine advertising campaigns to target the right audience with personalized messaging and offers based on ad format, device, demographics, interests, and behavior.

 

Reason No. 5 – Limited Payment Options:

Problem: You don’t offer payment options that has enough use that it can make 5% of your total revenue.

Solution: Offer a variety of payment methods to accommodate different customer preferences, such as credit cards, PayPal, and mobile payment options. If you serve globally and rapidly gaining momentum in traffic then learn what are the most popular methods for online business.

Reason No. 6 – Unoptimized Product Pages:

Problem: You have unoptimized product pages. It can be true for SaaS, eCommerce or any business that has transaction happening on the website to sell a product.

Solution: Improve product descriptions, add SEO, images, and pricing information to make them more compelling, informative and intuitive.

Note: I didn’t mentioned ‘unoptimized service pages’, but they’re equally necessary.

Reason No. 7 – Unpersuasive Call-to-Action (CTA):

Problem: Your CTAs like buttons, forms ‘basically anything that tells users to take X action and makes you money’ is so bad that they are not getting clicked, filled, and bought.

Solution: Use clear and compelling CTAs that prompt visitors to take specific actions, such as “Buy Now” or “Sign Up Today.” For services, your CTAs need to be relevant to each product and service. If you have 10 different products and services, make sure your CTA relates to each of them. Instead of Contact Now, make it ‘Contact Now for X Quote’. Replace X with your service or what user seeks.

Reason No. 8 – High Shipping Costs:

Problem: You are doing something wrong, like your shipping costs are so high that people are not buying.

Solution: Offer free or discounted shipping promotions, set minimum order thresholds for free shipping, or negotiate better shipping rates with carriers.

Reason No. 9 – Poor Search Functionality:

Problem: Your website lacks great search functionality. It can be true for ecommerce, or any company that sells 50+ services or products. No body is going to spend 30 minutes or more to read the information they are looking for. Make it easy for them.

Solution: Improve website search functionality with filters, sorting options, and autocomplete features to help users find products quickly and easily. Another method (not substitute) is to display your HTML sitemap (not XML) so people can easily navigate.

Reason No. 10 – Inconsistent Brand Messaging:

Problem: Your brand message (including logo, tagline, tone, slogan, theme) is not consistent. Being consistent is an immutable law of branding. You need to be consistent on your website and outside your website to make sure your message is consistent with your brand identity and values.

Solution: Ensure consistent branding across all channels, including website, social media, and marketing materials, to reinforce brand identity and messaging.

Reason No. 11 – Ignoring Customer Feedback:

Problem: You are ignoring customer feedback. This is true for pre-sale (new customer) and post-sale (repeat customer).

Solution: Listen to customer feedback and address any issues or concerns promptly to improve customer satisfaction and loyalty. Align your sales support and customer support to take care of this.

Reason No. 12 – Ignoring Search Engine Optimization (SEO):

Problem: You are not doing SEO for your key pages that will drive the potential buyers. Yes, you might have traffic, but is it through search engines? Is this traffic going towards the pages that will drive the sale?

Solution: Conduct deep SEO to improve website visibility and rankings in search engine (especially Google) pages.

Reason No. 13 – Hidden Fees or Charges:

Problem: Are you charging any hidden fees or maybe billing is broken.

Solution: Be transparent about all costs, including taxes, fees, and surcharges, to avoid surprises at checkout.

Reason No. 14 – Failure to Differentiate from Competitors:

Problem: Your competitors have better optics than you. Most customers conduct research before spending their money, make sure you win there.

Solution: Identify and emphasize unique selling propositions (USPs) that set the brand apart from competitors, such as superior quality, innovative features, or exceptional customer service.

Reason No. 15 – No Social Proof:

Problem: Humans do business. Are you able to embody values of being human while trying to sell?

Solution: Showcase customer reviews, ratings, and testimonials to build credibility and trust with potential buyers.

 

Reason No. 16 – No Upselling or Cross-Selling Strategies:

Problem: What if your offer doesn’t really fit your customer? Have some alternate plans ready for them.

Solution: Implement upselling and cross-selling tactics by suggesting related or complementary products during the checkout process.

Reason No. 17 – Unappealing Product Images:

Problem: While you think product images are important for ecommerce. For non-ecommerce, I would also like to mention pricing, packaging, proof of work and demonstrations.

Solution: Use high-quality, visually appealing product images that showcase products from multiple angles and in different contexts. For non-ecommerce, use pricing, packaging, demonstrations that are persuasive.

Reason No. 18 – Ignoring Data Analytics:

Problem: Are you assessing and studying your statistics?

Solution: Use data analytics tools to track website metrics, customer behavior, and sales trends to identify areas for improvement and optimization. Don’t just use them, study them deeply and take actions to move the needle.

Reason No. 19 – Slow Loading Speed and difficult UI:

Problem: Are you sure your website is fast? Test and make sure the website is good enough that people are not waiting too long to complete their purchase. Test your UI also while you’re at it.

Solution: Optimize website speed by compressing images, minimizing HTTP requests, and using a content delivery network (CDN) and more. Make sure your UI is intuitive.

Reason No. 20 – No Return Policy or Guarantee:

Problem: Customers want Plan B if your service or product doesn’t work as intended.

Solution: Offer a generous return policy or satisfaction guarantee to reassure customers and reduce purchase hesitation.

Reason No. 21 – Overwhelming Product Choices:

Problem: It’s a simple psychology that if you offer too many choices for the same thing you might be deterring chances of a successful sale.

Solution: Streamline product categories and navigation to help customers find what they’re looking for more easily.

Reason No. 22 – Lack of Social Media Presence:

Problem: Presence on social media is a sign of trust. Build it. If you can’t be super active, at least post every once in a while and answer any queries.

Solution: Build a strong presence on social media platforms to engage with customers, showcase products, and drive traffic to the website.

Reason No. 23 – Failure to Build Relationships with Customers:

Problem: Are you building relationship with the customer or future customer?

Solution: Implement customer relationship management (CRM) strategies to nurture relationships with customers through personalized communication, webinar, live chat and targeted marketing campaigns.

Reason No. 24 – Inadequate Product Information:

Problem: Are you answering all the customer questions?

Solution: Provide comprehensive product details, including specifications, dimensions, materials, and usage instructions.

 

10+ Types of Marketing Risks

Many types of marketing risks are provided here.

First questions first, what is a marketing risk?

What happens if your marketing campaign turns sour and a flood of criticism follows? What if your creative team triggered the wrong kind of emotion in specific global market? What if huge chunk of your marketing budget is spent on 0 ROI or even negative perception of your brand?

All of that, my friend, is marketing risk.

If you can understand marketing risks, you will be better prepared to stay away from any ill fate and cast off any trouble that could be brewing.

Mistakes happen, anyone can make mistake. But, as a leader, it’s your responsibility to stay vigilant, understand cultural norms or know business well-enough that you always come triumph.

Marketing Risk Management happens before, during and after your campaign – yes, throughout.

I am going to share some marketing risks here and hopefully you will counter any bad incident before it happens.

Remember each of the given marketing risks can be a sub-category in their own, but I’ve given a bird-eye view.

Marketing Risk #1 – Market Competition Risk

Some times SLT (senior leadership team), marketers or consultants just underestimate the competition. Now, I am not saying you don’t dive deep into something you dream to win and celebrate, but here’s a realist take; if marketing costs exceed the ROI then better don’t do it.

If possible results are possible but it takes you 5 years to get there so are you ready to sacrifice 5 years just to get there? How will you ensure other player doesn’t take your place that you worked so hard on?

Instead, you can look for blue ocean strategy, or look for something unique that will make your clients get glued to you.

 

Marketing Risk #2 – Brand Reputation Risk

What’s right for you might be wrong for someone else. Few things may look trivial and has no clear right and wrong but just a choice and no one can call themselves to be the righteous one.

While brand reputation is not the unique set of problems itself but different risks like cultural sensitivity, false promise, social media nightmare and other such risks make brand lose their reputation.

Marketing Risk #3 – Cultural Sensitivity Risk

Think about knowing what’s culturally liked, and disliked. No sane brand would like to risk their sales and reputation for a small giggle if it is going to enrage large audiences.

That’s the thing with cultural and moral sensitivities all over the world. They vary country to country, sometimes city to city and village to village.

Think about dressing, food, affection in public, even how to sit properly. Some people are extremely cautious that a small trivial act can make them lose their cool.

Marketing Risk #4 – Regulatory Compliance Risk

Take an example of GDPR or False advertising in Europe. Or other TVC laws. Really, plenty of stuff one needs to be careful about for regulatory compliance. No one want to stir the pot, right?

Marketing Risk #5 – Technological Change Risk

Think about Kodak or Blockbuster. Kodak faded into oblivion by digital cameras and Blockbuster faded into oblivion by Netflix. Both were giants, but fell like Godzilla.

Marketing Risk #6 – Pricing Strategy Risk

This risk is associated with setting the wrong price. It doesn’t mean you have to be too low or too high, but you have to support both strategies respectively and have a clear methodology to cohesively run complete cycle or product journey based on that.

You can also create a price fluid strategy by using different mechanics at your disposal.

Marketing Risk #7 – Market Saturation Risk

This is similar to market competition risk. If market saturation is really high and there is no way to differentiate yourself then that is a red ocean market (opposite of blue ocean market).

Simple suggestion would be to stay away from such unless you have a magical recipe that no one has.

Marketing Risk #8 – Customer Perception Risk

Take an example of the brand lifebuoy in a non-english country. Many people in the country only knows that male is a boy, and the brand name is lifebuoy, for lack of knowledge about the language or the brand, people will perceive the brand as a male only brand. This means brand could lose half of the targeted audience.

Marketing Risk #9 – Supply Chain Risk

Okay, so you reached 100,000 customers, 10,000 of them wants immediately but it’s not on the shelf. This wave of promising new customers will die and you will lose market share just like that for new brands that are not yours.

Marketing Risk #10 – Economic Downturn Risk

Now, I don’t suggest shrinkflation, but economic downturn and recession can hit any economy, so you should have a plan how you will navigate it if such a situation arises.

Instead of shrinkflation, you can have alternate products/services, that people will have purchasing power to buy and it will not hit your bottom line in a massive way.

Marketing Risk #11 – Wrong Platform Risk

Small example would be Twitter (X). You allocated huge budget to Twitter (X), but the authorities in the country blocked twitter – then it’s a marketing risk.