1. Develop a strategic plan

Everything you do should have a specific goal/purpose tied to it. It’s not enough to just share pretty pictures or content (what my Dad thinks I do). You need to have a reason behind what you’re posting. Think back to that annoying girl in your literature class raising her hand constantly commenting and sharing her opinion. Enough already. We all just want to get on with our day, so stop posting “look at me, look at me!” messages. You don’t get extra credit for being an interruption , so if you’re not sharing something purposeful or valuable, shhhhhh!

Try this: Start with your end goal and reverse engineer your content plan. This will help you not only figure out what to create along the way, but will help you stay on track to achieving your specific and measurable goal.

2.   Put it into action

One thing a lot of business owners struggle with (myself included) is they put all their time and energy into a plan, but then  find a million reasons why they shouldn’t or can’t put it into play. There’s no perfect plan. Maybe it won’t work the way you thought. Maybe it will be even better. Maybe it will fail miserably, but you’ll learn from it.

Try this: Get it done. Act on it. The good news? Nobody’s going to point and laugh if it doesn’t work out the way you thought. You’re probably the only one who will notice the outcome either way. If you do nothing, you learn nothing. Don’t be afraid to try.

3.   Know your audience

All this work is pointless if you don’t know who you’re talking to or trying to reach. This is extremely important when you’re determining your strategy, content, and trying to sell your product/service (end goals). Marketing to a big, broad audience is basically like trying to get everyone on the planet to like you. It’s not going to happen. You’re not for everyone...and that’s ok. The people that need you are out there. The more specific you can get, the better.

Try this: Determine your audience. Where are they spending their time online?  Who are they interacting with? What problems do they have? What can you provide that solves that problem? Figure out how to help them and provide value and they will start listening. Promise.

4. Be consistent

Listen, it’s not going to happen overnight. (Please) don’t expect to post something and receive an influx of emails/calls with prospects vying for your product. If you are not consistent with your messaging, you will be forgotten. Interact with your audience and remind them why they need you. 

Try this: Build your credibility by maximizing your reach. Get social, send that email and write that blog post. Your audience is waiting to hear from you.

5. Pay attention to analytics

Yes, we have to talk about this. It can seem really overwhelming if you’re not doing it correctly. Your website, blog, emails, social media platforms - all have built in analytics. Use them. Knowing where your traffic is coming from is a golden advantage available in today’s digital marketing space. All of the data is there. You just have to know how to use it to your advantage.

Try this: Establish specific goals for your marketing activities. Use the available tracking tools. Better yet, consider hiring someone to help you set these up and explain the data, so you can develop a strategy that makes sense specifically for your business. Knowing which channels are driving the most traffic to your site will help you determine where to spend more of your time and money. Skipping this step will ultimately leave you wondering if any of your effort is paying off.. Work smarter and know your next move.