Give Your Marketing a Boost in 5 Easy Steps

Is your marketing strategy feeling a little tired? Or has it flat lined and you’re just not getting the results you’re used to? Marketing is an ongoing process. It requires constant monitoring, measuring and tweaking to ensure success. Follow these simple steps to breathe new life into old campaigns.

• ReviewThe first step to boosting any campaigns is to review your current position. Take a long look at where you’re at now and assess whether changes are needed. At the start of any campaign, it’s a good idea to set targets. As part of this process identify how you will know you have met your goals. If you have done this already, look at the measures you already have in place and analyse the results. Have you achieved your outcomes? Has this number increased or decreased over time? Do the figures reveal any patterns or other pertinent information?If you’re not already monitoring results, now is the time to begin. Document all your marketing activities and for each, outline how you can monitor success. This might be through web analytics, reviewing newsletter sign ups or website sales. Or it might be through tracking telephone calls. Whatever processes you have in place, make sure you monitor it carefully and analyse the results.A SWOT Analysis is also a good way of looking at strengths and weaknesses in your campaigns. It will also allow you to identify opportunities and threats for forward planning. Download our template to get started.
• Set Targets
  Once you have reviewed your current position, it’s likely you have identified a number of areas that could be improved and potential opportunities. Make sure you make the most of these by setting targets. Use the acronym SMART to help with this. All targets should be specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and timed.For example, a target to increase newsletter sign ups is too vague. It doesn’t state how many sign ups you’re aiming at. Nor does it state whether this is achievable or realistic, how you will measure the outcome, and when it should be achieved. So opt for something like this instead. ’We aim to increase our newsletter sign ups by 10% over the next six months. This will be measured by setting up a funnel in Google Analytics and we will review this on a monthly basis.’ Your current rate will assist you in assessing whether this is realistic and you will need to outline exactly how you intend to achieve this.
• Allocate Time and Resources
  We stated already that marketing is an ongoing process. It is something that needs constant monitoring and measuring to ensure success. Make sure you allocate enough resources to work on your campaigns. This is not always straightforward if you run a small business. But allocating a minimum amount of time per week to focus on this will pay dividends.
• Ask Your Customers
  The best source of information on how well you’re doing and what you could do differently are your existing customers. If you ask the right questions they will provide you with a wealth of useful information. And they may also identify lucrative opportunities.Many customers spend too much time chasing new customers and accounts. While this is necessary, it’s important not to neglect your current client base. Think of ways you can assist them. What other products or services could you sell? For B2B businesses, what is lacking in your customers’ businesses that you could provide? Survey software such as Survey Monkey will help you ask questions and collate the results.
• Be CreativeNever forget that marketing is a creative process. It requires an innovative approach. Successful campaigns are often those that offer something a little bit different or create a buzz. Never stop thinking and exploring ideas and make sure you hire the right people. Provide a creative space in which to work and provide time for staff to brainstorm and come up with new concepts. Encourage everyone to put forward ideas and foster an environment where all ideas are appreciated, no matter how farfetched. It only takes one idea to spark a successful campaign. It’s your job to supply the right the environment and the right people to make this possible.