July 3, 2023
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There’s a special kind of chaos that happens when a business decides to “get serious” about marketing. Budgets are approved, campaigns are launched, and optimism flows like cold brew on a Monday morning. But a few months in? Crickets. The data dashboard looks like a flatline. Sales is pointing fingers. And your CMO (fractional or otherwise) is wondering why the shiny new demand gen strategy isn’t, well… generating.
Sound familiar?
You’re not alone, and you’re definitely not doomed. Let’s explore five of the most common marketing strategy pitfalls that derail even the best-intentioned efforts—and how to avoid them with a little help from your strategic partner (spoiler alert: that’s us).
What it looks like
Marketing is doing something—lots of somethings, actually. Campaigns are running, posts are scheduled, and ads are live. But when someone asks, “What’s the goal?” the answers vary from “brand awareness” to “more traffic” to “I think it’s about leads?”
Why it’s a problem
When your marketing strategy lacks clear objectives, you end up chasing trends instead of results. It’s the equivalent of assembling IKEA furniture without the instructions—everyone’s busy, but progress is questionable.
How to fix it:
Start with the end in mind. Define what success looks like in concrete terms: revenue goals, pipeline contribution, and conversion rates. Your go-to-market strategy should flow from these goals, not the other way around.
👉 Strategy before tactics. Every. Single. Time.
What it looks like
You're running campaigns but not tracking how they perform—or worse, you’re swimming in data but don’t know how to use it. Someone brings up “marketing attribution,” and half the room panics.
Why it’s a problem
Marketing without data is like flying blind. Without business insights to guide you, you risk wasting budget on tactics that aren’t working and missing out on the ones that are.
How to fix it
Set up the right KPIs early: revenue contribution, lead quality, and cost per acquisition, and track them religiously. If your current setup doesn’t let you do this, it’s time to rethink your stack or call in a Fractional CMO who can align your analytics with your growth goals.
What it looks like
You’ve got social media marketing, email blasts, and digital ads—and they all sound like they came from different planets. Worse, your messaging doesn’t actually reflect what your audience cares about.
Why it’s a problem
When your brand voice is inconsistent or irrelevant, potential customers tune out. And sales? They’re left trying to pick up the pieces.
How to fix it
Develop clear messaging pillars based on real audience pain points. This is especially critical in account-based marketing, where personalization drives results. When BlueByrd leads strategy, we dig deep into audience segmentation, voice, and tone so every message supports a unified revenue story.
What it looks like
Marketing hands off leads that sales say are “not qualified.” Sales asks for materials that marketing didn’t know were needed. Nobody agrees on what a good lead even is.
Why it’s a problem
This disconnect slows down revenue, creates friction between teams, and kills momentum in your pipeline.
How to fix it
Enter sales enablement. Align both teams with shared goals, SLAs, and an integrated tech stack. Use business insights from sales to inform content creation and campaign strategy. With BlueByrd as your strategic partner, we don’t just fill the funnel—we make sure your team knows exactly how to close what’s in it.
What it looks like
You’re constantly launching campaigns, trying the next best thing, TikTok one day, webinars the next, without a strategic plan tying it all together.
Why it’s a problem
Without a roadmap, you’re spending effort without direction. The result? Burnout, budget blowouts, and very little impact on actual revenue.
How to fix it
Create a quarterly go-to-market strategy that ties every campaign to a measurable goal. Prioritize initiatives that align with your broader growth objectives, and revisit your roadmap regularly to adjust. Strategy isn’t a one-and-done—it’s a living, breathing part of your business.
One tech client came to us with what they thought was a lead generation problem. Turns out, it was a strategy alignment problem. Their digital advertising efforts were generating leads, sure, but none that sales could actually close.
We conducted a full marketing strategy audit, realigned messaging across all channels, rebuilt their go-to-market plan, and restructured their demand and lead generation strategies around revenue outcomes.
The result? A 47% increase in qualified leads, a 3x improvement in sales velocity, and a much happier sales team (with fewer passive-aggressive Slack messages).
If your marketing strategy feels more like a gamble than a growth plan, you’re not alone. But you are in control. With the right strategic partner, you can turn random acts of marketing into a well-oiled revenue engine.
Want to avoid these pitfalls before they slow you down?
Avoiding common strategy pitfalls isn’t just about being cautious; it’s about being intentional. Marketing strategy should be the compass for every move your business makes, not a dusty PowerPoint filed under “Q1 Planning.” Want to stay out of the danger zone? Start with strategy, align your teams, follow the data, and maybe, just maybe, stop letting your intern run PPC without supervision.
Now go forth and market smart. (And hydrate, too. Strategists need water.)
Let's get your wings ready!
