I recently noticed that the gym parking lot is emptier. Sadly, according some sources, only 59% percent of the Americans who made resolutions to get fit in 2014 kept their word. The problem is that making changes takes a plan (goals), making exercise a priority, being consistent and willing to stick to it no matter what to get the results.
The same is true for marketing. Busy entrepreneurs and small business owners are so overloaded. “Bettering marketing” projects dive to the bottom of “to do” lists where most things never get done….just like fitness resolutions. You don’t have to be a statistic – start small.
Want to shape up your marketing efforts this year? Start by STARTING. If you are ready and determined to change your marketing to get it up and running better, follow these three marketing tips for success:
1) Determine marketing goals. You probably don’t need an entire overhaul, but perhaps just to focus and tighten up your efforts somewhere (i.e. social media or website optimizations). Whatever ideas of what needs to get done pops into your head, write them down and prioritize their order. Need to have’s first, nice to have’s later. It’s like cutting soda as a start to fitness – you aren’t working out 10x/week, but you are making a small step that will be part of making a big difference in the long run.
2) Delegate the workload. Determine who will be the marketing “person” in your company if there is not already one. Consider one of your employees for social media posts if applicable. You can also hire an online marketing agency to help share the workload. With fitness, it would be like joining a fitness class, hiring a personal trainer or a healthy cook to help so your future efforts are done more strategically.
3) Set a realistic budget and timeframe. Most companies spend 5-10% of their budgets on their marketing efforts every year. This is the point where the goals list (Step 1) is necessary to determine the importance of the tasks at hand so you are clear to help get estimates to to the work and plan time to complete them. This is also an opportunity to audit current marketing spend. Cut things that don’t work – it will free up budget to use towards things that support your goal list.
Creating a road map implementing that strategy and measuring results are the simple keys to healthy marketing. If you feel overwhelmed with it all, reach out for help! Creating a solution for that problem may be easier than you think.
Resources:
http://elitedaily.com/life/everyone-gives-new-years-resolutions/894828/