Companies have gradually transitioned to digital marketing. The global pandemic fast-tracked this transformation.

Yet several obstacles are hindering this marketing transformation.

“The greater the obstacle, the more glory in overcoming it.”

Molière, a French dramatist

Companies are working hard to transition their legacy and traditional marketing efforts toward digital.

They aim to gain deeper insights into their buyer’s journey. Additionally, they use digital channels to drive brand awareness and sales.

What is digital marketing transformation?

Digital marketing involves promoting a company online. It also uses other digital channels. The goal is to connect with current and potential customers.

Transformation is the process of entirely changing something. When joined, digital marketing transformation changes how marketing operates in the digital world.

Some marketing departments are well along in shifting their thinking, strategy, and resources toward digital marketing. Others are just starting.

Some companies have mastered digital marketing transformation, while others are falling behind.

Rapid digital change is forcing buyers and marketers to adapt. With more information consumed on digital and mobile devices, buyers are ahead.

Marketers need to commit to creating exceptional digital experiences for these buyers.

The challenge is that there are many obstacles to shifting from traditional to digital marketing.

Marketers are drowning in data and tools.

They have problems connecting the dots between multiple digital tools. These include customer relationship management (CRM), marketing automation, and social media management.

Other tools are social selling, content management, and website management. They also struggle with search engine optimization and other digital marketing tools.

Marketing is undergoing a revolution, and there are many obstacles to the transformation to digital marketing.

The question now is not whether digital marketing is a suitable investment. The real question is how to maximize your digital marketing to grow your business.

The good news is that challenges related to digital marketing transformation can be overcome.

The key is to start by identifying the roadblocks and then learning how to remove them.

Common obstacles to transformation with digital marketing

Let’s examine the top common obstacles marketers face in digital marketing transformation. We will also discuss how to overcome them.

1. Culture

“Nobody ever got fired for buying IBM.”

IT industry axiom

The idea of this old quote was that IBM was a safe choice because it was known.

One of the most prominent challenges marketers face when shifting to digital marketing is encountering a conservative culture. Some companies have been conditioned over time to avoid risks.

In conservative cultures, employees maintain a low profile and adhere to the status quo.

They often say, “We have always done it that way.” They don’t want to rock the boat and make waves.

Doing that gets them in trouble, and their hands are slapped.

Culture is one of the biggest obstacles that marketers face.

This happens because the other departments are used to marketing, like placing TV ads. They are also accustomed to seeing ads in newspapers or on billboards.

Many organizations view marketing as a cost center and believe it doesn’t drive sales.

Marketing is now sales.

Many organizations don’t recognize the competitive advantage digital marketing can offer. Companies are often slow to evolve and reluctant to take risks.

Conservative organizations don’t leverage new technologies like marketing automation and artificial intelligence.

They don’t see how much data marketers can collect on their prospects and customers. This data can help marketing and overall company performance.

Conservative cultures can change. It starts with change agents and leadership buy-in. Leaders must supply the resources to modernize marketing.

How to overcome this obstacle

Changing the culture doesn’t happen overnight. It takes a lot of patience. It takes small wins to show that digital marketing works.

Launching a pilot program can help. The pilot should be long enough to collect information. It should be short enough not to need significant resources.

2. Politics

Almost every company has some dysfunction. They have poor leadership and conflicting goals. They have power struggles.

Most importantly, almost every company has some politics.

Politics is a result of big egos. Self-interests. Territory grabs—blurry roles and responsibilities around projects.

Politics can hold back the transformation of marketing. The leadership team can control the pace of change. They can view marketing through a specific lens.

They lack confidence in marketing’s ability to deliver results and help achieve business objectives.

Politics impedes progress and is driven by power and control. This is the unfortunate reality of business. Politics can impede transformation if it doesn’t serve the agenda of powerful and influential people.

How to overcome this obstacle

Understand what motivates the leadership team.

• What intimidates or scares them about marketing?
• What is slowing progress toward change?
• What is the leadership team judged on, and how do they get compensated for their efforts?

Decide if your company really has a strategy. Approach change management in a way that strokes the egos of the people who use politics to their advantage.

3. Complacency

“Don’t be lulled into complacency.” 

Alan Gerry, a cable-television pioneer and entrepreneur

One of the most common obstacles to not changing is a lack of urgency. The global pandemic prompted the urgent adoption of new digital technologies.

But it is hard for employees to switch to a new way of working.

If a company is successful with traditional marketing tactics like events, why should it change?

Success creates complacency. Business leaders become comfortable with a history of success. They lack the motivation to change.

If it isn’t broke, don’t fix it

Leadership teams and companies can become complacent when something is working well. Why change? They assume they can keep their success by doing what they have always done.

Circuit City’s bankruptcy is a prime example of what can happen when success breeds complacency. Transformation can put companies out of business.

How to overcome this obstacle

The effects of complacency may not be obvious in the short term, but they will be long-term. Bring in fresh ideas to your company and learn from the best. Fight against routine and start every day from scratch.

4. Legacy technology systems

According to Gartner’s Digital Marketing Transit Map, more than 1,800 vendors support digital marketing.

There are many marketing technologies, and they are expanding exponentially. It can be tiring to keep up with the latest and innovative tools.

But, specific technology systems grow old and become obsolete.

Marketing trailblazers are always looking for new tools to incorporate into the marketing technology stack. The key is to use marketing technology wisely and simply.

Some legacy technologies are complex and have integration issues. Old legacy technologies can be underutilized and unnecessary.

Some technologies are not deployed properly, resulting in reduced value and wasted time.

How to overcome this obstacle

Adapt to new technologies by seizing on opportunities as they emerge. There are many free tools you can test to see if they work for your company.

When building new business capabilities, consider replacing legacy systems. Manage your technology portfolio like your company manages its product portfolio.

5. Silos

Your customers and prospects don’t differentiate between how your departments are structured. When they interact with your company, they want their experience to be seamless and work smoothly.

For example, people call your phone number via your website or fill out a form on your site. Each integration between teams needs to work and be consistent.

In digital marketing, companies must break down silos because it raises the stakes. All parts of marketing and all aspects of your company must work together to make sure an excellent customer experience.

How to overcome this obstacle

Create a unified vision for your customer experience and a vision for collaboration between departments. Work together to use standard collaboration tools.

Encourage communication and attend each other’s department meetings. Explore how different departments are compensated and how that drives behavior.

Bringing it all together

Five main obstacles hold back companies from digital marketing transformation. These roadblocks are culture, politics, complacency, legacy technology systems, and silos.

There are several ways to overcome these challenges by stepping outside your comfort zone.

“Obstacles don’t have to stop you. If you run into a wall, don’t turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it, or work around it.”

Michael Jordan, an American former professional basketball player and businessman

The most successful companies and leaders are those who step outside their comfort zones.

They let go of their fears, take risks, and build teams that work well together.

They don’t rest on their laurels and look at obstacles as opportunities.

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