Many of us set big resolutions at the beginning of the year, only to fall short come December. We understand. We get busy and run out of time to get everything done. If you fell behind in your marketing – or are just looking for a few last-minute tactics you can check off your list – here are five things you can still accomplish before 2017 rolls around:
1. Beef Up Your LinkedIn Profile
LinkedIn is arguably your most important social media profile. This social platform provides you the opportunity to network with centers of influence and strategic partners, connect with prospects and clients, and establish yourself as an industry thought leader. If you haven’t updated your LinkedIn profile in the last six months, do yourself a favor and spruce it up for 2017. Here’s a quick guide to creating your LinkedIn profile in one hour.
2. Refresh Your Website Homepage
Your homepage is the most important page on your website. Not only does it garner the most traffic, but it also determines whether or not a visitor continues to explore your other pages. Keeping your website up-to-date is essential, but if you don’t have time, focus on your homepage. Update your headshot and images if they are outdated, or add new ones for a refresh. Don’t forget to add some new content or tweak what you currently have. For more guidance, check out our post on the trifecta of a powerful website homepage.
3. Start a Blog
Blogging is a must in this competitive digital landscape. 69% of businesses say that their blogs are what gives them the most lead generation (according to Hubspot), and 60% of businesses who blog acquire more customers (according to Sprout). If you have a website with FMG Suite, it’s easy to blog. You can add a post and send an email blast to promote it and share it on social media. Need some inspiration? Your first post can be all about the New Year and starting off on the right financial foot.
4. Segment Your Email List
Want to see better email marketing results? If you don’t have time to dive into your analytics or create new campaigns, clean up your email list instead. By segmenting your list, you can send messages with calls-to-action that list of people are most likely to engage with and, as a result, see an increase in leads, referrals, and new business. While the average open rate for email campaigns is 22.5%, a study found that proper list segmentation can increase open rates by 20% to 40%, with a subsequent rise in click-through rates. Wondering how to segment your lists? Check out our recommendations here.
5. Update Your Local Business Listings
While content, email, and social media marketing are crucial for success, there are more basic tactics that can be just as (if not more) effective, simpler to launch, and less expensive. One of these tactics is local business listings. Using an automated service to take control of and manage your local business listings can improve your SEO and branding for less time and money than any other marketing strategy.
There are only a few days left of 2016 so on your mark, get set, go!
