3 Reasons Why Your Marketing Isn’t Converting

Patrick McFadden

You can go a long way with relationships and great information, but if you’re trying to build a business, at some point you need to actually tell your audience what to do and that will usually be to buy something.

Getting a shopper to your website, to your store or wherever you do business is only half the battle in business. You have to convert that shopper into a customer to stay in business.

So, today we’re going to talk about that: why your marketing isn’t converting . Conversion is the point when your shopper either buys or doesn’t buy, based on your communication of good feelings and/or solutions to their problems.

Let’s talk about the three most common reasons that your shoppers aren’t turning into buyers. There are many reasons why your marketing isn’t converting , but these are by far the most common.

1. They are not interested

This is by-far the most painful reason. But if this is the case and what’s wrong, there’s no marketing technique in the world that will help you out.

Sometimes you (even myself) just get really passionate about an idea that our customers aren’t nearly as passionate about.

This was the case for Otto Rohwedder, who invented sliced bread. He did as most inventors do, and only focused on the patent and making part. So, for the first fifteen years his idea of slice bread was a complete failure. Until wonder bread came along and marketed the idea. Then customers wanted slice bread and paid for slice bread.

This brings up another great point, you might have a widget or an idea you’re convinced your customers need, but is it something they want.

When in doubt, know that “wants” win over “needs” every time.

2. They don’t trust you

At the heart of every transaction is trust. After #1, this is the second most important reason.

They may want what you offer. They may have thoughts of how they’re going to use it. They may even know just what to do next.

But they don’t pull the trigger.

Why?

Because they’re second-guessing their decision, and they’re scared of looking and feeling like they’ve been taken — like an idiot.

Don’t take it personally — we’re living in an age of betrayal. Madoff made off will other people’s money. Baseball players are lying about testing positive. Companies lay-off staff to increase quarterly stock price evaluation.

So how are they going to trust you?

You build up trust by creating strong business relationships with relevant and valuable information that solves problems.

3. You didn’t ask for the order

This reason why your marketing isn’t converting  is my favorite, because it’s the easiest to fix.

I realize it seems simplistic, but if you enthusiastically ask your shopper to click the link, visit our store, dial the 800-number, or whatever other vehicle you use to get that sale, he or she is much more likely to do it. Weird, but true.

It’s called the call to action, and every business needs a very compelling one. If you’re not familiar with the call to action, or you need some examples of how it’s done, here’s an article I wrote on it:

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By Patrick McFadden 26 Jan, 2024
CEO, marketing consultant, speaker, and author Patrick McFadden, founded the Indispensable Marketing Process to help owner and CEOs of small businesses have a logical or process way to understand, buy, and implement small business marketing services. McFadden acknowledges that marketing can be challenging for small to mid size organizations, who are often working with limited time, money, attention-spans and resources. In 2023 - 2024 McFadden started engaging with LinkedIn Collaborative Articles. A place for unlocking community knowledge in an all new way. It starts with an article on a professional topic or skill, written with the help of AI — but it’s not complete without insights and advice from people with real-life experiences. They invited experts to contribute and here are his insights and advice:
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