A CMO’s Guide To Reviving an Underperforming Marketing Campaign

Digital marketing campaigns don’t always hit the mark. Even with a well-researched strategy and a strong team behind it, performance can lag, leaving CMOs with the difficult question: What went wrong, and how do we fix it?

At SMA Marketing, we help CMOs identify underperformance and turn it into an opportunity for optimization and long-term growth. If your campaign isn’t delivering the results you expected, here’s a step-by-step guide to get it back on track.

1. Clarify the Campaign’s Core Purpose

Start by thinking back to the original campaign objective. What was this campaign built to achieve? Is it brand awareness, lead generation, customer engagement, or something else?

If the goal isn’t clear, your messaging, metrics, and direction will be unclear too. Re-ground yourself in the “why” before adjusting the “how.”

Note: Different goals require different KPIs. A brand campaign isn’t “failing” because it’s not driving leads. If it’s building a share of voice and engagement, it may be doing its job.

2. Audit Your Audience Fit and Targeting

Campaigns fail when they miss the mark on who they’re talking to or how.

Here are some questions you should consider asking yourself:

• Are you targeting the right segment of your audience?
• Have buyers’ priorities shifted since you launched?
• Are you using language and formats that your audience responds to?

For example, a thought leadership email campaign might underperform not because the content is bad, but because it’s going to the wrong stage of the funnel.

Use CRM data, customer interviews, or behavioral insights to realign your targeting. Don’t assume what worked six months ago still applies today.

3. Evaluate the Content Experience, Not Just the Content

Content is more than what’s written; it’s how it’s delivered.

Ask yourself:

• Is the content clear, compelling, and actionable? Or is it full of jargon, fluff, or buried insights?
• Does it solve a real problem or answer a key question? Or is it just repeating what’s already out there?
• Are there too many steps, or does it cause too much friction in the user journey? Could users be dropping off before taking action?
• Is your CTA easy to find and compelling enough to take action? Or is it buried at the bottom of the page?
• Is the page loading quickly and functioning well on mobile? A slow or unresponsive design kills engagement fast.
• Does your internal linking guide the user deeper into relevant content or lead them in circles?

If you’re seeing engagement but no conversion, consider how the experience, not just the content, might be losing people.

4. Reassess Your Marketing Channels

Just because a campaign includes multiple channels doesn’t mean they all work for you.

Ask yourself:

• Are your email open rates declining? Could your list be stale?
• How are your keywords? If organic traffic is growing, but your bounce rate is also increasing, maybe it’s time to adjust your keywords.
• Is your blog content ranking but not converting? You may be attracting top-of-funnel traffic without a clear next step or lead magnet.
• Is paid search performing well, but branded queries dominate? You might be paying for traffic you could get organically.
• Is your referral traffic strong but underperforming in conversions? The referring sources may not align with your ideal customer profile.

Sometimes, the fix isn’t new content, it’s choosing better distribution or doubling down on what’s already working.

5. Improve Measurement, Not Just Execution

An underperforming campaign might be doing better than you think. It’s possible you just aren’t measuring it well.

Ask:

• Are you tracking the full customer journey or just last-click results?
• Do you have clear attribution models in place?
• Do your KPIs match the campaign’s actual goal?
• Are vanity metrics clouding your judgment of what’s moving the needle?

As a CMO, balancing short-term performance metrics with long-term impact is crucial. Not every campaign will convert immediately, but that doesn’t mean it’s not building momentum.

6. Test, Iterate, and Relaunch

Once you’ve identified what might be broken, it’s time to fix it — but not all at once.

First, select one or two variables to test (messaging, subject line, headline, CTA, channel). Then, set clear hypotheses and success metrics. Give it enough time and data to draw conclusions, and then iterate fast.

A campaign revival is rarely a one-shot pivot. It’s a series of small, strategic adjustments that build toward something stronger.

Learn more about how digital marketing campaigns fail: 

Underperformance Is an Opportunity To Enhance Your Marketing Efforts

When a campaign underperforms, it’s easy to panic. However, CMOs who approach the situation with clarity often uncover powerful insights, not just about their marketing but also their target audience.

At SMA Marketing, we help teams diagnose underperformance, realign their marketing strategies, and build campaigns that work. Interested in learning how we can help you build a successful marketing campaign? Contact us today to get started making a real impact.