SBI found that in 2014, 71% of marketing teams were using “ineffective methods” for helping their companies grow.

A failed marketing strategy costs a lot more than lost revenue opportunity - it can cost us time, resources, and even deter possible customers.

So why are so many campaigns failing? Yes, marketing is often a process of experimentation, and it is inevitable that experiments don’t always work, but does the failure rate need to be so high?

There are many reasons why campaigns fail, from lack of audience understanding to poor messaging and creative issues, to name just a few.

But a reason often overlooked by business leaders is that they lack an objective second opinion from those outside ‘their bubble’.

Different, informed perspectives can be truly valuable for a small business marketer and can mean the difference between your campaign taking off or plummeting.

You can’t read the label from inside the jar

You are, of course an expert in your product, an enthusiast for it, and are immersed 24/7 in the hothouse of the inner world of your business. However, that’s a very different starting point to your prospect.

As a result, your understanding of how to convey your offering is biased by how close you are to it, making it almost impossible to see your marketing through fresh eyes.

Your perception of the message you put out will be warped by your own hyper-focused perspective on the product you are selling, and this is why outsider insight into your campaign, asset, content or idea can be instrumental to your success.

You need a third-party expert looking at what you have produced and giving you their honest, constructive opinion.

The importance of non-bias

Even more important than seeking external evaluation of your campaigns is ensuring that the opinions you gather are unbiased.

The reality is, most of the input available to you from your team, or even friends and family will indeed be biased.

If the person whose opinion you are seeking works alongside you in your business, they are also living in the same bubble, and workplace politics may also get in the way of honesty.

This bias limits your team’s ability to truly and effectively understand how your market will receive your messaging.

Friends and family may lack enough business savvy to help, but more than anything else they will want to avoid upsetting you by stepping into any controversial debate.

Most people close to you won’t view the success of your marketing as worth harming the relationship for, so any criticism may be dressed up in positives, and you may be so busy enjoying these that you miss the subtle negatives among them.

So, you need to look further afield.

How an outside opinion can help

There is a huge difference between perception and reality.

We all know the sayings, ‘one man’s meat is another man’s poison’ or ‘beauty is in the eye of the beholder.’

We all see things differently depending on our unique perspectives, personalities and experiences.

This is why, without proactively seeking other perspectives on your marketing campaigns, you are limiting your own view and that is inherently risky.

An outside perspective can challenge your thinking, help improve your critical analysis and give your more confidence in your decision. Even if you choose to ignore it!

So, who do you ask?

It can be tough to find a regular source of feedback that is well informed but sufficiently objective, and who doesn’t simply want to maintain the relationship. You must also recognise that someone even loosely involved with your business goes native within a matter of weeks.

A great option, therefore, is to speak to other experienced businesspeople with practical marketing experience from outside your company.

Conclusion

Marketing campaigns can be a great way to attract and convert new customers, and if you implement them correctly, they can also have a significant impact on your bottom line.

By seeking objective advice from marketing experts from outside your team and organisation, you can be sure your campaign will be more likely to succeed and bring you the results you desire.

Roger Jackson is founder and CEO of SenseCheck