Seven Common Marketing Mistakes and How to Fix Them

"Many leaders still can't tie their spending decisions to the outcomes at their store locations-they can see the sales went up or traffic decreased, but they don't know why. A measurement‑first discipline-geo‑experiments (trying a new offer in 10 stores versus 10 control stores), location‑level KPIs (developing specific metrics for each store), and a test‑and‑scale cadence-reveals what to scale and what to stop. It also forces the operational moves, such as hours, staffing, and customer experience, that will make the results stick."

"Why multi‑unit is different (and harder) Operating one location is hard; operating dozens or hundreds is exponentially more complex. Local markets vary dramatically-demographics, density, commuting patterns, media costs. Competition can even differ within the same Designated Market Area. A national advertising plan that treats every store the same tends to produce uneven outcomes and wastes ad impressions on people who are unlikely to respond."

"The solution is not bespoke campaigns for every address; it is a structured way to localize at scale. Start by grouping locations into practical archetypes-such as urban weekday, suburban family, commuter corridor, college‑adjacent, tourism/seasonal, and rural hub-so strategy, offers, channels, and frequency can flex without compromising brand consistency. Two forces drive results: demand signals (who lives and works nearby) and execution readiness (hours, staffing, inventory, and reviews)."

Multi‑unit brands often fail not for lack of marketing budget but because execution is uniform, measurement is thin, and meaningful signals go unnoticed. Leaders frequently cannot tie spend to location outcomes, seeing sales or traffic changes without understanding causes. A measurement‑first approach uses geo‑experiments, location‑level KPIs, and a test‑and‑scale cadence to reveal what to expand or stop and to inform operational changes like hours, staffing, and customer experience. Localization at scale groups stores into practical archetypes so strategy, offers, channels, and frequency can vary while preserving brand consistency. Two drivers matter: local demand signals and execution readiness; ignoring either undermines results.

Read at Inc