Ask yourself, did your marketing strategies and efforts pay off this year? Did they bring you more and new customers and good a return on your investment (ROI)?

You can’t create the RIGHT marketing plan for next year UNTIL you assess the effectiveness of this year’s strategies.

Does Your Marketing Measure Up?

The way to assess your marketing strategies begins with you running your reports, reviewing your data, and asking these basic questions: 

1. What worked?
2. What didn’t work?
3. What changes should you make?
4. Are your email newsletters getting opened? 
5. Are your website CTAs converting? 
6. Is your social media engaging your target audience? 

Assess ALL of your marketing strategies from print materials and podcasts to blogs and webinars. If any of your marketing is not working, ask why. Do you need to adjust your content or try a different outlet?

Wherever your marketing is working, CELEBRATE!  Recognize yourself, your team, and anyone who contributed to the success. 

Is Outsourcing an Option?

Sometimes our marketing isn’t working because:

1. We don’t have the TIME to create content or implement a marketing plan
2. We don’t have the right SKILLS to create written or visual content for our marketing

This is where outsourcing can come in. If you can budget for outsourcing, you can free yourself up to focus on the work at which you’re the best. Likewise, you can outsource your marketing tasks to someone best suited for them. You can even outsource the task of assessing your marketing strategies! 

If your email newsletter isn’t getting many opens, you could hire a copywriter that knows how to write a clickable headline. If your website stats are stagnant, you may need help creating converting content, or with your call-to-action strategies.

Refreshing Your Marketing Tools

For your marketing to do its job, it needs to be fresh and timely — and we all know this can be a challenge! The right content marketing reaches your target audience and converts customers. Review and assess the year’s marketing strategies in these areas:

• Website. Review every page, not just your Home page! Your About page, bios, and products/service pages help potential customers determine if your business is the right match and solution for them.
• Print materials. Even in this digital age, print materials can still be effective. Do your brochures, postcards, or ads in print publications continue to deliver ROI and convert?
• Social media profiles. People find you by your profile and all the details matter: links, logos, handles, bios, and company summary. 
• Branding. Do all of your marketing materials consistently reflect your brand? For both your written and visual content? Make sure you’re maintaining your brand across platforms. Reference this blog post to be sure you’ve covered all the bases.

• Need to update your marketing tools? 
• Start a new project? 
• Create your 2023 marketing plan and/or editorial calendar?