Whether your business is flying high or your bottom line could stand to see some improvements, this is the perfect time to aim higher for the coming 12 months. After all, there’s nothing like a fresh calendar to get your motivation and creativity moving.
With that in mind, today we want to share five proven online marketing habits that can lead you to your best year ever. Let’s start with a piece of advice you’ve probably read on our blog before…
1. Create a Content Plan
Have you ever noticed how hard it is to write a blog post or outline a new video when you’re under pressure to produce? Even in the creative world we try to never work from scratch. A blank page (or screen) is just too daunting.
That’s why we advise working from a pre-planned set of ideas. You can sit down and create a list, or even a detailed editorial schedule, before you ever write or shoot anything. Not only will this let you be creative without an immediate deadline, but it can also help you group your thoughts, organize different themes, and separate your best inspirations from the ones you might need to come back to later after more consideration.
A good content plan keeps you on track with your search engine optimization and social media marketing campaigns. And more importantly, it stops you from having writer’s block at the worst possible time.
2. Post Daily Social Updates
We like to recommend that our clients post something new to their business’s social profiles on a daily basis. Or if that isn’t possible, then at least once or twice per week.
Believe it or not, what they post isn’t necessarily as important as the consistent habit itself. Each update should be related to the business, of course, but beyond that there are few boundaries. They could share a favorite quote, a client success story, or a behind-the-scenes picture of a team member. They can also link to an interesting article or statistic.
The goal of daily posting isn’t to sell anything. Instead, it’s to maintain top-of-mind awareness with customers and prospects. If they are hearing from you regularly, even if it’s only for second, it can help them to think of you when they have a need for your products or services. Given that this kind of posting should only take a few minutes each morning, it’s well worth the effort.
3. Delegate Big Chunks of Work
Most business owners will want to take care of their own daily social posts. That lets them ensure the messaging feels authentic. And besides, it only takes a moment. However, other parts of an online marketing effort can (and often should) be delegated to others.
In this case, delegating might mean assigning tasks like content creation or analytics reviews to a manager. In other instances it might mean turning them over to a web design partner. Either way, the idea is to shift tasks you aren’t good at or don’t enjoy to someone with the right specialties.
Over time, delegating online marketing jobs to others can help you preserve your sanity while improving results. Unless you’re great at writing or producing images and videos, it might be more efficient to let someone else wrestle with them on your behalf. That way you can keep your focus on running your business.
4. Keep a Record of Your Wins
You know there are things your business does extraordinarily well. Your best customers know all about your talents and capabilities, too. However, the potential customers or clients you want to work with are in the dark. They’ll want to see proof before moving ahead.
That’s why it’s so important to record your wins as they happen. This is incredibly easy to do in today’s digital world. Have that super-satisfied customer leave a video testimonial you can put on your website and Facebook page. Outline a quick case study for the successful project you finished while it’s still fresh in your mind. Create an infographic, or perhaps a before-and-after portfolio, when you’ve done something that made a noticeable difference.
These are small steps to take if you’re thinking about them at the right moment. They can be difficult to re-create later, especially when you suddenly need proof of your past success.
5. Schedule Quarterly Checkups
It’s often the case that business owners get excited about online marketing at the turn of the new year. However, as the months go by and the calendar is filled with new projects and distractions, those fresh habits and inspirations fall by the wayside.
One way to keep things moving in the right direction is to schedule quarterly checkups with your web design team. These involve you and your advisors getting together to review strategy and results. You can talk about what’s working and what isn’t, all while examining analytics data from your website. You can also look at developing trends and new ideas to see if there are any parts of your approach that need to be amended.
These meetings don’t have to be long, and they probably won’t shift your approach radically from one quarter to the next. However, this kind of regular get-together can ensure that you’re on the same page with your web design team and reaching the benchmarks that will make your business more profitable than before.
Want to Make Online Marketing Easier and More Profitable?
In today’s world it’s virtually impossible for a single business owner or entrepreneur to manage web design and online marketing on their own. From digital advertising to content updates and plugin management, there just isn’t time for the basics. And that’s to say nothing of continued education or strategic planning.
That’s why the best turn to our team of creative minds and business growth experts. Contact us today to schedule a free consultation and see what we can do to help your business grow in 2022 and beyond.