The digital marketing landscape is always changing, meaning your digital marketing strategy must transform alongside it. Brands that understand their audience’s ever-evolving needs are the ones that will weather the ebbs and flows of the digital marketing space, while those who can’t keep up with the pace of the industry will undoubtedly be left behind. 

‍

But just because adaptation is necessary for digital marketers doesn’t mean it’s easy. On the contrary, staying on top of new trends, tools, and techniques takes significant time and effort. Sometimes, you might not even realize you’re falling behind until your brand starts suffering the consequences of an outdated marketing strategy. 

‍

So, how can you tell if your marketing strategy requires an upgrade? Learn how to recognize the signs of a defunct marketing strategy to keep your clients satisfied and your brand thriving in 2025.

‍

1. Low Engagement 

Low engagement is a sign that the content your brand shares isn’t resonating with your target audience. There are various engagement metrics to help assess the effectiveness of your marketing efforts, including likes, shares, comments, views, and follows on social media as well as open and click-through rates for marketing emails. 

‍

If you notice that engagement is down on one of your marketing channels, take some time to assess your current strategy and make adjustments that will recapture your audience’s attention. For inspiration, check out the content your competitors share and identify what posts people seem to gravitate toward most. Whether it’s a specific topic, trend, or format, there’s surely something you can glean from observing what other brands are doing well.

‍

2. Insufficient ROI

Return on investment (ROI) is the ratio between an investment's net profit and its initial cost. In digital marketing, it’s a metric used to assess the cost-efficiency of a particular marketing campaign or program. A high ROI indicates a successful marketing strategy, while a low ROI signals inefficiencies to address. 

‍

The goal of any marketing effort is to attract new customers. Thus, a low ROI on a marketing investment means the cost of acquiring new customers has increased. There are several steps to address this issue, including redefining your target audience, comparing the effectiveness of various marketing channels, and retargeting customers who have previously shown interest in your products or services. Refining your marketing goals and procedures will help reduce costs and increase profits.

‍

3. Declining Website Traffic 

Declining website traffic can signal several different issues with your marketing approach, from low conversion rates to ineffective search engine optimization (SEO) and pay-per-click (PPC) campaigns. Search engine algorithms and user search behaviors change over time, so decreased organic search traffic could mean your current strategy needs an update. 

‍

If your website traffic has dropped off, consider adjusting your SEO and PPC strategy to account for new high-performing keywords. As trends come and go, the keywords that attract the most searches will shift, so it’s a good practice to research hot keywords regularly. Additionally, if conversions are your sore spot, you may want to review the quality and functionality of your website and gather insights on how to improve user experience through A/B testing.

‍

4. Outdated Online Presence

As previously established, the online ecosystem is always changing, and successful brands must adapt to stay relevant. Keeping your marketing strategy up-to-date involves multiple components, including web design, brand messaging, social media content, and more. 

‍

Your website is one of your most vital marketing channels—if it looks outdated or is difficult to navigate, you will lose potential customers. Look for cluttered and confusing layouts, slow load times for webpages or images, technical issues like broken links, and unattractive design elements like clashing color schemes and hard-to-read fonts. As for brand messaging, keep your tone and mission statement consistent across platforms to create a more powerful brand image.

‍

5. Poor Customer Feedback

There’s no better performance metric than customer feedback. As you strive to improve your brand’s marketing strategy, the best thing you can do is listen to what your customers have to say. If they are dissatisfied with your customer service, investigate ways to decrease your response time and find satisfying solutions to their problems. If they aren’t connecting with the content you post on social media, research the types of posts that are currently performing well, or go straight to the source and ask your followers what sorts of content they’d like to see. 

‍

At the end of the day, your customers are the lifeblood of your business, so when making updates to your marketing tactics, they should always be at the forefront of your mind. 

‍

Across all industries, digital marketing is essential for any successful business. Digital marketing establishes a strong relationship with your target audience and increases your brand’s awareness, allowing your company to reach a wider audience. To grow your business, start by evaluating your current digital marketing strategy to determine what’s working and what still needs improvement.

‍

If your team needs assistance navigating digital marketing, let's create a brilliant strategy together. Contact us today, and watch your business grow tomorrow!

‍

Go Beyond The Social With BlueTickSocial

BlueTickSocial is a woman-owned and women-led digital marketing agency. We focus on building your digital presence to generate sales, increase engagement, create brand awareness, and take your company goals to the next level.

‍

Sources: 

5 Signs Your Digital Marketing Strategy Needs a Revamp

6 Signs it’s Time to Update Your Company’s Marketing Strategy

7 Signs Your Business Needs a New Marketing Strategy

‍