You’ve got your New Year’s Resolutions set, your annual vacation planned, and your business goals lined up. But is your marketing ready for 2017? The start of the new year is a great time to prepare your marketing for what’s to come.
In ringing in 2017, we suggest getting your marketing all dressed up and ready to go by reevaluating your audience, setting an efficient budget, and laying out a content strategy to help you hit the ground running come January 1st.
Reevaluating Your Audience
As a financial advisor, you probably have a pretty clear picture of who your audience is. You likely have asset minimums, specialize in certain services, or know who you work well with. But this audience can change over time and the new year is a great time to reevaluate who your marketing is actually gaining traction with and if this differs from who you thought your audience was.
As you ramp up your marketing efforts, your campaigns, emails, and content strategies will attract different audiences. Look at your analytics to tell who is reading your posts, what characteristics those readers share, and where you should be marketing.
Set an Efficient Budget
We’ve talked before about how important it is to set a marketing budget, but what really matters is how efficient your budget is. When setting your 2017 marketing budget, think about where you will get the most bang for your buck. Ask yourself:
- Where did I spend marketing money last year?
- What techniques were most effective? Which were the least effective?
- Is my marketing evolving with the times, or am I just following the status quo?
- Based on 2017 marketing trends, what new things should I try?
These questions will help you determine what worked well for you in the past, what hasn’t produced results like it used to, and where you can risk a little for the new year.
Layout Your 2017 Content Strategy
Before we start out the new year, our marketing team always sits down and plans out a rough sketch of our content strategy. We lay out the skeleton for our broadcasts, campaigns, and blogs. Things will change, of course, but having this outline helps us stay focused and brainstorm content that fits well together.
You can do the same thing for your marketing and save yourself time in the long run. Sit down and plan out at least 6 months of marketing. Sprinkle in a mix of campaigns, videos, and blogs. Here are some ideas to get you started:
- In the beginning of the year, post some content on how to set your clients off on the right track with their 2017 budget
- Come tax season, share some tips on how to file taxes or invest in tax-efficient strategies
- During the summer, blog about some easy ways to save for a family vacation
- During the holiday season, guide your clients on how to save money on gifts and wish them a happy season
As you can see, it’s easy to fill these ideas in with more detail and craft a content strategy that is 2017 ready.
The new year is a time for change, growth, and evolution. Make sure your marketing is ready by reevaluating your audience, crafting an efficient budget, and making a marketing calendar ahead of time. And throw in some confetti poppers while you’re at it!
