Fall is here and that makes it a good time to look at your marketing efforts. During this time, you can get a jump-start on the busier selling times such as Black Friday and Christmas. All this housekeeping will help your promotions and future sales. These efforts include marketing that you do online, in-person, and in print.
Your first step is to grab a pen and start jotting down what you need to fix, what you need to update, and what you need to get rid of. Here what you need to consider:
1. None of your accounts match
There’s a certain amount of expectation with branding that your online audience notices. If your accounts do not convey consistency with your imagery, style, and messages they could turn away. Consistency is key to help build your brand.
2. You are not sure what you want
What are your future plans when it comes to your business? In order to reach your one-year plans or even five-year plans, you need a blueprint for your marketing efforts.
3. You are not connecting to your audience
It’s very difficult to get anyone to see your message if you do not know who your audience is. Even worse, if you have a specific audience you want and you’re missing the mark. Define who your audience is and define how you will try to communicate with them. The more valuable the information you share, the more input, conversations, and future sales you’ll get.
4. You are focusing too much on your needs
In order to connect fully to your audience, you need to focus on them. How can you help them? How can you solve their problems? This is a tricky road to navigate because you need to connect with them while marketing your company and its services. Relationship building should be a prime focus when it comes to marketing. Meaningful messages and conversations do more than interrupting them with endless promotion. The more you engage with your clients, the more loyalty you’ll build.
5. You are not paying attention to your competition
Always have an eye on what the competition is doing online. The idea here is not to imitate or copy what they are doing. Define what you do differently and better them and market that. Advertise to the world through your branding and marketing efforts what you can deliver and what your competition cannot.
6. You are not sure about the story you tell
What is your company’s story? What inspired you to start your company? Why do you want to help others? How do you want to help your community? These are great things to focus on with your marketing efforts. The more you tell, share, and talk about, the more your audience will relate to you. Make sure your story is down-to-earth, clear, and concise.
7. You are not dedicating enough time to marketing
Start with a plan that you layout every week what you’d like to focus on. It’s important to market yourself everyday so be consistent. Understand how to use each app for marketing such as Instagram or Twitter. Make sure you find the right amount of posts that work well for your message.
8. You are hardly marketing at all
If you have dropped off from your marketing efforts then your need to hop back on. It doesn’t take much for your audience to move on. Online consumers move fast, so it’s important to dedicate the right amount of time to touch base with your audience. This helps you stay current and it helps build your community. Keep enhancing your brand and story by letting them know you are here for the long haul.