What to do if your Marketing Plan Fails

Imagine this: you have been relying on the same marketing plan for several months or longer. Everything you do, for the most part, has been working. But out of nowhere you hit a snag and now nothing is breaking your way. What are you going to do?

If your marketing plan begins to fail, don’t panic. Instead, follow these steps:

  1. Don’t abort what has worked in the past. The first thing you may feel like doing is overhauling your plan and forgetting what has gotten you this far. While there is nothing wrong with trying something new, you don’t want to totally give up on a plan that has worked so well.
  2. Try something new. This goes along with tip number one. While you are working to get your old plan back on track, mix in something new that you have never tried before. For instance, if you usually send query letters and cold emails you should continue with this. But at the same time, why not throw in some cold calls to see if this can jumpstart your business? Once everything settles down you will have another marketing method that you are comfortable relying on.
  3. Don’t give up. This may sound cliché, but it is entirely true. No matter what happens, recognize that your marketing plan has worked in the past and it will begin to payoff again in the future. The last thing you want to do is panic, make major changes, and find yourself in a worse position.

Final tip: just because you hit a slow period does not mean that your marketing plan suddenly turned bad. Remember, a lot of sales and marketing has to do with luck. You should expect to go through dry spells from time to time.

It would be nice if your marketing plan turned up new clients day after day. And while you may have a lot of success for an extended period of time, realize that this will probably turn 180 degrees sometime in the future.

Profile image for Chris Bibey
Chris is a full-time freelance writer based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He specializes in web content, sales copy, and many other forms of writing. Chris has two books in print, as well as hundreds of articles in local and nationwide publications.

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2 thoughts on “What to do if your Marketing Plan Fails”

  1. Marketing can be so tough because if you look at the small picture, it often seems like all your hard work is having no affect. Personally, I’ve always had to struggle to get a big picture view, although it’s gotten easier.

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