Today is our last installment of the spring cleaning series. We are going to spring clean your marketing plan. Here are the steps you can take to make sure your marketing plan is working for you.

 

Reevaluate Your Goals

 

It’s a good idea, periodically, to reevaluate your goals. Sometimes things change (Can anyone say Covid?) and the goals you had in January get blown out of the water. You need to make sure the goals you’re working toward are still the goals you need to be focused on. Ideally, you want to make sure you’re checking your goals quarterly.

 

Take a Look at Your Target Client

Is your target client still the same? For example, our company did some shifting and we do a lot more training now, where we used to do a lot more management. A training client looks very different than a management client. Make sure you are targeting the right end-user.

 

Clean Up Your Logo and Look at Your Branding

 

You don’t need to rebrand once a year. That’s not what we’re saying. However, you do need to take a really close look at your logo. Is it vector art? Is it polished? Is it pixelated when you put it on stuff? That won’t cut it. You need a clean version of your logo. This may be the year you spend a couple of hundred dollars to get your logo cleaned up so you have the vector version, a png file, and whatever else you need for your marketing plan. Then, take a look at the rest of your branding. Make sure that clean logo is what is represented on your other branding. Whether it’s on your website, social media, or written materials it needs to be the high-quality image. 

 

Get Organized

 

Verify your processes. Make sure they all still work for you. Check your forms on your website and make sure they are working like they’re supposed to. Make sure when people sign up for something that they are getting the same thing they signed up for. Make sure the process is fluid. Nothing is more frustrating than hitting the button to sign up for something and being taken to another button to sign up for something. This can make them decide to opt-out. 

 

Review Your Stats and Analytics

Check your stats and analytics, including your SEO. Look at the keywords people are searching to find you and make sure you’re using them. If you’re a wedding planner and your best keyword is “destination wedding”, is it anywhere on your website? Don’t forget that 93% of online experiences begin with a keyword or search engine search. 50% of searches are for longtail keywords. They’re not just searching “weddings”. They’re searching “rustic weddings in Birmingham”. Find out which social media platforms are generating the most traffic for you. 

 

Make Sure Your Website is Visitor Friendly

 

When checking if your website is visitor-friendly, don’t forget to include mobile. It might look gorgeous on your laptop but how does it look on your phone or other people’s phones? See how it looks and performs and if it needs a little tweaking, tweak it. Mobile traffic has increased 222% in the last 7 years. It’s projected that 53% of the internet will be exclusively mobile in a year. That’s huge.

 

Upgrade Your Social Media

 

Check your accounts and make sure the branding is consistent. Regularly post and engage your audience. Be sure you are replying to your comments and direct messages. You work so hard to get that engagement so make sure you are replying. There are more things you can do to upgrade your social media. We have blogs dedicated to that. However, start with these steps.

 

Integrate Video Into Your Marketing Plan

If you’re not already using video in your marketing, today is the day to start. The stats for video are outstanding. Videos are shared 1200% more than links, text posts, and pictures combined. It’s critical that you use video if you haven’t done it already. By 2022, videos will make up more than 82% of all consumer internet traffic. That’s 15 times higher than it was in 2017. These are just projections. We are guessing after Covid and the crazy popularity of TikTok, which is entirely video, that those numbers will turn out to be even higher. If you aren’t using reels on Instagram, we highly recommend it. Video is the way to go. 

 

Clean Up Your Email List

 

Make sure that the people on your email list are those who are interested in your business. If someone isn’t opening your emails, remove them from the list. If you need to segment your email list, do that. For instance, you may need to split it up between potential clients and current clients. Email has incredible ROI so it’s worth your time to make sure you are using it effectively.

 

Check-In with Your Current Clients

 

You can periodically schedule follow-up calls. You could do it over Zoom. You want to make sure that what you are doing is working. Look at their stats. It’s all about the bottom line so if it doesn’t make you money and move you forward don’t do it. You won’t know what’s working unless you talk to your current clients and find out how they found you, how are they liking their service, and what you can do to improve. This can be a valuable marketing tool.

 

Outsource and Automate Where Possible

 

We have a client who is great with Facebook but hates doing Instagram so we do it for her. It’s faster and cheaper for her if we do it because we can do in a hurry what takes her a long time. There is a reason we have an accountant and bookkeeper. It would take us so long to do it ourselves and the tears and wailing wouldn’t be worth it. If you feel that way about your social media, it’s time to outsource. If you feel that way about any of your processes that you can outsource, get them off your plate. 

 

Network

You have to get out there and press the flesh with real people. Right now, that’s still digital because we are in a pandemic, but it is important. You have to network. It’s easy to get busy working on your business and let a few years pass without networking. It’s time to get involved. Find a few avenues for involvement in your community or industry and make it happen. 

 

Spring Clean Your Marketing Plan Today

 

If there are things on this list you haven’t done yet, there is no time like the present to get to work spring cleaning your marketing plan. We hope these tips will help you maximize your marketing efforts. Need more help? Set up a consultation and see if we may be the right choice for you.