As 2017 draws to a close, now is the time to review and reflect on the past year. A year-end review is vital to ensuring your success in 2018. Why? Well, if you have been keeping up with our blog, you know that one of the fundamental steps in building a strong brand is to collect data on how each of your marketing strategies is performing.
December being the last month of the year, it is an ideal time to review what worked, what didn’t work, and how you can improve in the coming year.
Last Year’s Highs and Lows
Identify the high points and the low points of the year. Consider your costs, the time expense involved and whether the final outcome was worth it. You may find that there are high points that were too costly for your business in the long run, or you may discover low points that could have been successful with slight adjustments.
Review these periods careful to gain a full understanding of how your customer or client base responds to different marketing strategies. Were you able to achieve your objectives? Were there added benefits or problems that you did not foresee in the planning stages but are obvious now with some time to reflect on them?
Resolutions and Next Year’s Goals
Using the insights you have gained from reflecting on the successes and failures of this year, create new strategies for 2018. What you learned in 2017 will help you determine your business objectives for next year. You may decide to work on achieving goals that were not met in the past year, or you may instead choose to draw up entirely new milestones you would like to reach that are more reflective of your current situation.
Even if you decide to scale back certain parts of your business and reallocate your energy into other parts of your business, do not think of this as a failure. In fact, it is just smart business. As the world changes around you, make adaptation one of your top priorities.
New Year, New Strategies
The holiday season gives you a little bit of time to stop and catch your breath. Over the year you have probably come across new tools and strategies that you suspect may help improve your business. Take this time to explore new software, the latest developments in your industry, and fresh ways to connect with your target audience and grow customer loyalty.
If you are a small business owner, you may not have a lot of people you can turn to who can help you set business goals for next year. Connect with our team of experts to find out how you can grow your business in 2018.
As the winter holidays creep ever closer, this is a critical time for your social media and marketing efforts. There is a phenomena that social media managers like to call the “holiday slowdown.” It sounds harmless enough, but the holiday slowdown can be devastating for small businesses. Even big brands can struggle during the holiday season if they are not making the extra effort to incorporate seasonal trends in their marketing materials.
What Is the Holiday Slowdown?
The holidays are a busy time of year for most people, especially families. Consumers are far less likely to engage with social media posts that have little to do with the season’s festivities. During this time most of their online activity will likely be focused on holiday celebrations and gift-giving. Social media posts that do not reflect the importance of the holidays are going to receive less engagement overall.
Businesses wanting to maintain steady engagement throughout the holidays should endeavour to tailor their social media activity to the nature of the season.
Mastering Holiday Social Media Posting
• Posts recognizing specific holidays. Extend well wishes to your followers and customers with festive branded images that recognize specific holidays. For instance, on New Year’s Day, you could post a “Happy New Year” image with copy that asks followers to share their New Year’s resolutions.
• Offer seasonal promotions and deals. Spending is high during these weeks, so make sure to get in on the action by offering seasonal promotions or discounts. With budgeting and saving at the forefront of most followers’ minds, an opportunity to save some cash will be too hard to pass up.
• Share high value content with a seasonal focus. This is a great time to send out newsletters, post articles and share resources that tie into the holidays. Your subscribers will appreciate the topical information, especially if it offers them a solution for a common seasonal problem.
• Team up with a charity in the spirit of giving. Show off your giving nature and partner with a charity to do some good this holiday season. Sharing your company’s experiences raising money, putting together gift baskets, or volunteering at a local shelter can help you build comradery among your employees and humanize you in the eyes of your social media followers. You may even inspire your followers to perform their own acts of kindness. Better yet, invite your followers to join you and your team in doing some charity work.
• Run a giveaway in honour of the holidays. ‘Tis the season of giving after all. Holiday giveaways encourage engagement and drive traffic to your website and social media pages. Include holiday themed items, and merchandise or a gift certificate from your business. Giveaways are also a fantastic way to increase follower counts and gather contact information from customers.
Need some guidance on maintaining engagement over the holidays? Contact us! Our social media managers are happy to share their expertise.
