08 Jan The Content Marketer’s Guide to Making the Most of the New Year

January is the month of resolutions and goal-setting. These don’t have to be limited to health, fitness, and lifestyle goals, though; why not make some professional resolutions to reflect your “New Year, new you” attitude as well? Whether you’re a seasoned marketing pro who needs a fresh approach or a novice trying to build your brand and cultivate a reputation in the content marketing niche, I’m here to help you make the most of the new year. As a content marketer with years of experience helping businesses build their online presence, I know first-hand how important a yearly examination of your marketing techniques is to succeed in the ever-evolving world of online marketing. Here are my top tips for making 2018 your best year yet.
Make or Revisit Your Marketing Plan
The importance of this step cannot be overstated. Whether you’re new to the content marketing landscape or you’ve been around the block a few times, everyone needs a roadmap. A lot goes into creating a winning marketing strategy, but there’s just as much that goes into building your brand so you have something great to market in the first place. Break down your whole process into small, easily-measurable goals – like these – so you can see where your performance and ROI milestones are and exactly what you need to do to reach them.
Refine Your Approach
Now that you know what you want to accomplish in 2018, it’s time to review how you want to get there. Marketing strategies vary from business to business; what works phenomenally for one niche may be disastrous for another. If you specialize in one niche, you’ll need to identify the best practices for marketing to that audience, as well as marketing your services to businesses in that niche. If you want to market to many niches, you need a variety of strategies on hand. Keep up with the shifting SEO landscape by following other content marketers and industry leaders, and integrate what you learn into your marketing plan.
Sales Strategy Integration
My final piece of advice for making the most of the new year for your business is to remember that, as a marketer, your client’s business relies as much on integration as yours does. Likewise, if you’re trying to fit content marketing into your small business strategy, seamless integration between your marketing plan and your sales strategy is key. If you aren’t already, make sure that your marketing approach lines up with your client’s (or, if you’re going it alone, your) sales approach to maximize conversions, profit, and ROI all around.
Having a plan for success in place makes all the difference, but it’s important to remember that marketing changes as new tools and technology become available. Flexibility and adaptation are more crucial to marketing than ever before. To stay up-to-date on the newest content marketing practices and how to implement them, follow me on Twitter and check back regularly for more Social Calling blogs!