The New Year is here and it?s my favorite time of year. I love the ability to refresh, reorganize and embark on new possibilities for the 2017 year. Last year, the Hive Marketing focused on content strategy and direct communication with consumers. This year, though these topics are still quite relevant, we?re ready to kick it up a notch with some exciting and innovative ways to get ready for marketing in 2017. For some reason, this year feels like a turning point—a big push towards the future of entrepreneurship. If you?re feeling the excitement too and want to jump on board, come along as I share with you my tips for taking over your business life in 2017.
Step 1: The Big Cleanout, Analyze and Iterate
You can?t begin to journey through a new year, without reflecting and cleaning out the old one. Without organization or planning, you?re doomed to fail. Start by reviewing your previous processes. What worked well for your strategy? What didn?t work? What did you not have time for that you still want to make a point to try in the coming year? Along the same lines, evaluate your staff. Think about if it?s time to make changes by letting go of members that continue to hold your business back. On the contrary, think about who is missing from your staff. Should you hire a new designer to help with your workload? Should you look into freelancing out some projects? Whatever your needs may be, now is the time to consider your needs and budget. The most important thing to do when cleaning out your old business clutter is to review, review and review again your marketing and sales numbers of 2016. Don?t forget about using google analytics, click-through rates, email numbers and most importantly, your revenue to see where you are and where you need to go. And cleaning sometimes really does mean cleaning. Clean out old papers, clean your workspace, eliminate unnecessary clutter and purchase office items that you?ve been putting off. Encourage your employees to do the same.
Step 2: A Fresh Start
Now that you?ve made big steps toward purging your old life, it?s time to set goals for 2017. You?ll notice I even embarked on my own journey last year to rebrand my materials?and move my business in a more streamlined direction. Think about repackaging your products. How can you make them better for your clients? Should you use more infographics? Have eco-friendly packaging? Whatever the changes may be, it?s now the time to breakout of your old funk with a new, exciting approach.
Step 3: Focus on Content Strategy
Once you?ve revitalized your own business areas, it?s time to start thinking about where the market is moving in 2017. In the B2B 2017 Benchmarks, Budgets and Trends in North America Report, 91 percent of businesses showed success when they had a viable, organized approach to ensuring they had spent proper time on forming a content strategy campaign. This goes to show you that content is still king. You need to be deliberate in the way you plan out your digital marketing campaigns. Make sure they are well-written, informative and offer the consumer something they need. In 2017, focus on these areas;
Mobile-Phones are taking over the world faster than we can say, Apple. According to the Pew Research Center, 50 percent of Americans prefer to get their news via screen. Of those watching the news, 56 percent prefer that screen to be on their mobile phone and I predict that trend to continue to grow in the coming years. If you don?t have a plan for reaching your audience via a mobile phone friendly internet program or app, your first step of 2017 is to get all of your information ready for a mobile platform.
Email-Email consistently ranks as the best form to reach your audience. Provide them with handy information, infographics, charts and downloads that really get your message out and provide them with information that they need. You’ll also want to focus on having a strong blog to use as material for your emails.
Social Media-Though research shows that many businesses still overlook the power of social media, there?s no time like right now to jump on the bandwagon. Social Media continues to grow and for some has been their only source of receiving news and information. Social Media allows direct consumer feedback and allows you to reach into your consumer?s life directly. Don?t underestimate its power in 2017.
Video-You all know I?m a fan of video marketing and have some exciting things on the horizon for this year. The future of marketing really lies in this powerful medium and if you can get video purposed for a mobile device, even better. Think about ways you can send video in 2017 that you normally don?t do. Send an email blast with only a video, make a video that introduces your brand or start a YouTube channel. The sky?s the limit for using video to take your marketing to the next level.
What do you think? Where is marketing headed in 2017? Let me know in the comment boxes and if you need help figuring out the best marketing techniques, I am happy to assist.
Also, if you’re in the Bay Area, join me at my winter presentations.
