It sounds like a cliché, but it’s true – every day is an opportunity to level up your marketing. However, when you’re busy with the day to day realities of running a business, it doesn’t always feel like it. The start of a new year, though, brings with it a feeling of a fresh start. It’s a perfect time to hit pause, reflect, and consider how you might improve things in the months ahead.
Figuring out how to level up your marketing can feel like an overwhelming prospect. However, there are four incredibly simple things you can do to kick-start that process. Elements of your everyday business you might not have taken a step back from since you started.
Upgrade your Online Presence
Before you start plugging your services in January, take some time to look over your online presence. If you first built your website and designed your social media content when you were starting out, there’s a chance it isn’t fully reflective of where you’re at now.
This doesn’t mean designing a whole new site! It just means seeing your content through your ideal customer’s eyes and tweaking it with that in mind. Not to mention the fact that Google likes to see that your website is active – don’t let it be forgotten about.
This is an opportunity to ensure your branding is on point on every platform, your tone of voice is consistent, and that you are effectively explaining what you offer and how it can help the customer.
When did you last evaluate how you communicate what you’re actually selling? Check this post out for my top tips on making it crystal clear.
Analyse Your Existing Clients
One of the most useful things you can do when starting to level up your marketing is to analyse your existing client base.
This is something you should already be doing as part of a six-monthly review process, but dive a little bit deeper here. Highlight your most valuable customers from the last three, six, or twelve months, and investigate where they came from. What brought them in?
If you want to attract more people like them, then this is where you need to start. There is a huge opportunity here to use your existing client or customer base to streamline your marketing. Rather than just following the latest trends, really take the time to learn what is working.
And, while you’re at it, ask yourself what you can do to incentivise these powerful existing clients to spread the word. Loyalty schemes, friends and family discounts and referral programmes are all worth exploring.
Whatever you did to bring them in, it worked. So level up your marketing by capitalising on that.
New to customer analysis? Here is an in-depth post exploring what you can learn from your past and existing customers!
Learn Something New
The truth is, you probably won’t grow your business by only doing the same things you’ve always done. This is where courses, classes and online learning platforms can come in really handy.
Whatever industry you work in, things change. And, particularly if you work in anything remotely digital, they change fast! When it comes to marketing, then, it’s important to make sure you are constantly learning new things. Adding new skills to your bow doesn’t have to cost the earth these days. There are lots of online courses that are free or relatively inexpensive, just waiting for you to explore!
Deciding to level up your marketing can feel massively overwhelming. But take it one step at a time. Choose an area you want to focus on first and only research courses in that area. Say LinkedIn is where a lot of people in your industry gain valuable leads, but you’ve never felt confident in it. Find a course that specialises in LinkedIn for business (better still, for your specific industry!) and get studying.
January is a perfect time to do this too, as many businesses experience the dreaded post-Christmas lull. If you’re having a quiet period in the early new year, put it to good use.
Keen to explore your options? Here are some of my favourite online learning platforms.
Expand Your Team
Hiring new members of staff, especially as a small business, can feel daunting. As solo business owners, or members of a small, close-knit team, we’re used to being in full control!
The truth, however, is that you can’t give 100% to all areas of your business. There simply aren’t enough hours in the day. So, with that in mind, adding a new member to your team could be just what you need to level up your marketing.
Hiring an internal staff member to take over digital marketing, or outsourcing to an expert for help with PR could transform your business. Not only that, but it would free up your time to focus on the things you enjoy the most. With lots of people looking fresh start after the new year, it’s a good time to start putting out the feelers.
Already happy with your staff? Here is how to make the most of your team when it comes to your marketing.
KEEP READING
If you are interested in reading more about this topic, have a look at these:
6 Tips to Convert More Website Visitors Into Paying Customers
How to Reach Customers Sooner in their Journey to Grow your Small Business
Create a Strong Brand: How I Did it and How You Can Do it Too
How to Upgrade Your Audience and Reach More Valuable Clients
