Review the year: what worked, what didn’t

As 2017 closes, it’s time to examine everything your business did for the year. This includes your marketing strategies, high months, low months, and feedback from your customers or clients. Pull up your analytical data on your website and social media pages to see when you got the most visits. Several factors may have influenced those surges. Did you purchase advertising shortly before those higher traffic times? Depending on your business, seasonal factors may have played a role. Anytime you ran a special event, product, or service, pay particular attention to the results of those efforts. For example, if you are a coffee shop using a POS such as Square, you can determine exactly how well a special product did.

Marketing Strategy

When evaluating your marketing strategy, keep three things in mind.

 

1. Your target market

Has your target market changed during this year? Did you develop any new products or services that cater to an audience outside of your typical demographic? If so, check how effective these new items have been for your business. You don’t want to get too spread out unless it is profitable and practical to maintain. Additionally, you may find a new venue that is a better fit for you than your original concept.

 

 

2. Your core values

Always check in with the core values that established your business. These are the guidelines that inspired you to become an entrepreneur in the first place. Again, identify any new areas that either match or step outside of these original core values. Fresh direction means new possibilities and perhaps a need for new marketing strategies.

 

 

3. What makes your business unique?

Even though you’ve probably come back to this question a hundred times in the course of your business, ask yourself what continues to make you unique after 2017. Has any focus shifted? Return to your roots and keep your success flowing.

 

 

“My Mission in life is not merely to survive, but to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor and some style.” -Maya Angelou

Social Media Results

How have your Facebook, Instagram, and other social media pages been doing? Check the views, likes, and overall engagement from your visitors. Note which blog posts, photos, and content have had the greatest impact on your fans.

Live Streaming

Conduct a live stream seminar or workshop. Live streaming is expected to play an even more important marketing role in the coming year, so jot down some video ideas now. During a live stream you have one of the most direct connections with your target audience. Answer questions and ask your own to bring your viewers into your “inner circle”. This kind of engagement allows your audience to be a part of what you do which cultivates loyalty and clients who will return.

Call to Action

Once you’ve reviewed your social media results, consider new ways to engage your audience. Creating a call to action remains one of the most effectual tools to generate new and old interest in your business. Sometimes we need some inspiration to keep these tools sharp. Some great examples of calls to action could be:

 

• Ask your visitors what posts they enjoyed reading the most
• Make a list of 5 potential topics and post the list on social media asking your audience which topic they would most like to see in the future
• Ask your readers what part of their business they like the most
• Ask your readers what part of their business they enjoy the least
• Have your web visitors share what charitable organization matters most to them
• Ask for people’s favorite beverage preference
• Run a contest for audience-submitted content with a giveaway reward

NOW LETS ROCK 2018!