The 3 Marketing Moves for the New Year That Are 100% Worth It
It’s early January, your calendar is looking super organized and you’re ready to make those business and personal goals happen. Woo hoo! Here we go! We are fired up! I also have a brand new planner, deliciously empty, and secretly, I wish it would stay that way. I know as a business owner and busy parent, it’s only a matter of days before it fills up. That means there’s an 87.9% chance that 76.4% of my goals will gather dust as I deal with the chaos of the day. It’s inevitable, and that’s okay. Let’s not beat ourselves up!
Here are the three things you can do to breathe easier, but push your business forward in the first month of 2017. Act like a stranger You wouldn’t believe how often we discover a client's "Contact Us" form on their website isn’t working or sends an email into the abyss. That leaves a bad taste in your customers’ mouths because they don’t have time to check back in to get answers or the service they are requesting. They will move on in a heartbeat. Right now, it would be in your best interest to not assume all your contact information is working. Act like a stranger and send a test email (or have a friend do it from outside your organization) and make sure you’re getting that email. Then, go online and “Google” yourself. (Do this for social media too.) Is your phone and address correct? Are your hours updated? Does it list a website that’s linking properly to you? Start from scratch like you’re a stranger checking out your company. What kind of experience are they getting?
Track it down Also falling into the category of “things every business means to do, but ultimately doesn’t” is the important “how did you hear about us” tracking. If you are a high achiever and do ask this question, are you tracking trends? Then, take a look at what you saw for ROI in 2016. If people continuously found you from your radio ads, there you go. If you’re pouring money into phone books, but are getting most of your leads from Facebook or Google, look at cutting back in the areas that are hearing crickets chirp. Our agency prides itself on cutting out the wasteful spending for our clients. Some of our clients are getting ROI of more than 1,000%!
Actual client ROI with Stokes+HERZOG
Video, video, video
It’s likely your business does not have a video yet. That’s okay for today. But it’s not going to take you into tomorrow. It’s a trend that is only getting stronger. Your customer wants to be informed and convinced that you’re worth it long before they walk in your doors. 50% of us will watch a Facebook video every day. It’s time to showcase your business with video!
Take a look at the stat:
So where do you start with video?
The “about us” is the little black dress of video. You can use it in so many ways, so get that one done.
Product or service videos that explain and sell (quickly) are the next on our wish list for you.
Make a short commercial that can be used in a Facebook video ad, in an email you send to clients, and on your homepage. It will be worth it.
Then, find some of your biggest fans to go on camera for you. Testimonials are the new “word of mouth” in 2017. As we become a more digital culture, sharing online videos will become like the local coffee shop in terms of how we recommend services to each other. We appreciated Molly Filipczak, a client, giving us this testimonial in December:
To keep your new planner and calendar as open as possible, contact Stokes+HERZOG today for a taste of the juicy freedom our clients experience. We love to make all of your goals happen. Here’s a new note we just received from our client, Dr. Tony Martin: