Marketing SOS: Why isn’t this working?

1. Your Messaging Isn’t Connecting

You might be reaching the right audience, but if your message isn’t resonating, it won’t matter. Affluent buyers don’t purchase based on technical specs; they buy based on aspiration, lifestyle, and emotion.

Take a look at your ads, website, and emails. Are you listing features, or are you painting a picture of what life looks like with your product? A high-end outdoor lighting company we worked with saw engagement soar when they shifted from selling “LED fixtures” to selling the experience of coming home to a beautifully illuminated property.

If your messaging doesn’t make people feel something, it’s time to rethink it.

2. You’re Targeting the Wrong Audience

Even the best message will fall flat if it’s being shown to the wrong people. Too many outdoor businesses use the “spray and pray” approach—marketing to everyone and hoping the right buyers will notice.

Luxury buyers aren’t browsing Facebook looking for discounts. They’re planning home renovations, working with designers, and prioritizing quality over price. One outdoor kitchen company we worked with wasted thousands of dollars on broad Meta ads. When we narrowed their targeting to high-income homeowners with a history of home improvement purchases, their ad engagement and conversions doubled.

If you’re not sure who you’re reaching, check your ad analytics. If you’re getting engagement but not conversions, your audience is likely too broad.

3. You’re Relying Too Much on One Channel

If all your marketing eggs are in one basket, you’re setting yourself up for trouble. Many businesses pour their budget into one platform—usually Facebook—without considering that their ideal buyers might be more engaged elsewhere.

Affluent buyers are multi-channel consumers. They may discover you on Pinterest while planning a remodel, want to see high-quality editorial content before making a decision, and ultimately convert after receiving a well-designed direct mail piece.

If you’re only marketing on one platform and it’s not working, it’s time to expand.

4. Your Website Is Working Against You

You could be driving all the traffic in the world, but if your website doesn’t make a great impression, that traffic won’t turn into sales.

A high-end buyer expects a luxury experience from the first click. If your website looks outdated, loads slowly, or doesn’t provide a seamless experience, they’ll move on to a competitor.

Check your bounce rate—the percentage of visitors who leave without exploring another page. A high bounce rate signals that people aren’t finding what they need or aren’t impressed with what they see. Also, make sure your website aligns with your ad messaging. If your ad promises a sleek, modern outdoor kitchen but your site looks like it hasn’t been updated in a decade, you’re creating a disconnect that turns people away.

5. You’re Not Following Up with Potential Customers

Most people aren’t ready to buy the first time they see your brand. If you don’t have a system to stay in touch, you’re losing out on future business.

Are you capturing email addresses? Are you running retargeting ads? Are you following up with people who showed interest but didn’t take action?

Marketing research shows that it takes 10 to 15 touchpoints before someone makes a purchasing decision. If they click on your ad once and never see you again, you’ve lost them. Implement automated email sequences and retargeting ads to keep your brand top of mind.

6. You’re Only Marketing Part of the Year

One of the biggest mistakes we see in the outdoor industry is businesses treating marketing like a faucet—turning it on when they need leads and shutting it off when they’re busy.

A pool company, for example, may ramp up marketing in early spring, fill their schedule by May, and then disappear. When business slows down in the fall, they start marketing again—but by then, they’ve lost months of momentum.

This stop-and-start approach creates major problems. First, it makes your messaging inconsistent. Affluent buyers take their time to make purchasing decisions, and if you disappear mid-process, they’ll move on to a competitor who’s consistently showing up.

Second, turning ads off and back on resets the learning phase for digital platforms like Meta and Google, meaning you’ll pay more to re-optimize campaigns that were just starting to work.

And third, if a potential buyer is halfway through those 10 to 15 touchpoints and your marketing suddenly stops, you’ve lost them. They won’t pick back up six months later—they’ll move on.

Marketing needs to be a year-round effort. Even if you’re fully booked, keep your ads running, keep your content flowing, and keep nurturing leads. The goal isn’t just to get busy—it’s to stay busy.

The Bottom Line: Marketing Should Work for You, Not Against You

If your marketing isn’t working, don’t panic. Instead, take a step back and diagnose the issue.

• Is your messaging clear and compelling?
• Are you reaching the right audience?
• Are you relying too much on one channel?
• Is your website optimized for conversions?
• Are you following up with potential customers?
• Are you marketing consistently, or only when you need leads?

Address these areas, and you’ll see a huge improvement in your marketing performance.