Okay, 2018 is over and we can all look back and take a deep breath. Suffice it to say, 2018 was “Interesting.” Many cringe-worthy moments. Many upturned industries. Many marketing mistakes. At the same time there were some brilliant marketing events as well. All things considered, it’s time to set up the blocks that tumbled down in 2018 and start building for a more impactful 2019.
To help us all get some traction in 2019, we’ve put together 5 action items you and your team (if you have one) can use to make sure you’re on the right track just in case (like us) you completely flew off the rails in 2018 (and the cool thing, they’re all FREE!):
1. Evaluate and build on your 2018 strategy.
Marketing and branding strategies are living forces. What didn’t work in 2018 likely won’t work (again) in 2019. Stop and evaluate the strategies you tried and assess the outcomes that worked and even those that failed for a sharper 2019 strategy.
Image credit: www.smartinsights.com
2. Content Marketing is (STILL) Big. So, Pick up the Pace!
Content Marketing, hands down, is still one of the most engaging and technically beneficial elements to a digital marketing plan. We didn’t see that trend diminish in 2019. More businesses are jumping on to the content wave (still) and to be competitive or even heard in 2019, your storytelling needs to be prolific and frequent (see chart). In 2018 SPOKE fell off the wagon a bit, but we hope to correct the course this year, posting at least 2x a month. You may want to consider an even more aggressive content marketing schedule, depending on your goals and your industry.
3. Content Marketing Means More Than a Blog, Baby!
If you can stretch your content marketing strategy to multiple channels, strategically reaching the ideal audiences on each – Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube, Email, Search crawls, and more – why wouldn’t you? Each iteration of your voice you can publish gives volume and reach that a simple blog can’t do alone. So do a video. Transcribe that video to a few posts. Pull stills with teaser copy for shorter content outlets. Aggregate your stories for a frequent drip email to your highest impact customers. And make sure you have a clear voice and call-to-action for each.
4. Share Knowledge Generously.
Some of the most effective digital marketing accounts we follow are prolific re-sharers. Whether the information comes from your head or not, the premise behind “Share Knowledge Generously” is rooted in support and curation of a brand that “is always on the cutting edge” and “is always there to help” your industry. Together we all win.
5. Track and measure all results.
Our last action item is all about learning from available metrics. Social media has become infinitely trackable. From clicks, comments, shares, and likes to landing page statistics, A/B testing and more, the ability to hone your brand marketing strategy is always available. Read the analytics and the reports to figure out what’s working, what could be working better, and what you need to stop. Efficiency and focus are the way marketers stay nimble. With the right tracking, you can hit the nail on the head every time.
And of course, if you need a partner to help you through some of the items above, please reach out to us through the Contact page within our site, email us at biz{at}spokecom.com or call directly to 515-257-6584.
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
And, as always…
KEEP COOKING!
Andrew B. Clark
The Brand Chef.
