Be An Action Hero with Your Marketing

Re-defining and evaluating your target market/ideal client/ avatar is an often overlooked action step business owners tend to neglect or forget entirely.

The best way to move forward is to look back. Wait… what? I want to move forward and not spend time on what didn’t work! Exactly!! This is the perfect time for reflection and for planning. It’s a new year and decade so what better time to reflect and change? It’s time for action - be an “action hero!”

We’ve created vision boards and made lists.We’ve put off evaluating and planning as long as we can. But, evaluating our marketing strategy from the previous year(s) will give us insight and direction into the next few year’s marketing strategy.

The following are simple action steps you can and should take on a regular basis:

1 - Assess your Target Market.

Has your target market changed and how has it changed?

What is your target market’s primary interest now?

Is your message still reaching your target market?

Re-defining and evaluating your target market/ideal client/avatar is an often overlooked action step business owners tend to neglect or forget entirely. Audiences change and we have to change with them. Sometimes they only change very slightly - your demographic has gotten a few years older. Perhaps they have moved to a different social media platform. Perhaps they are starting to retire? Life changes happen and your marketing plans have to change as your audience changes.

2 - Evaluate your branding.

Branding is the perception people have of you and/or your company. Take a look at the assets in your “branding folder.” Assets that can use an update are:

Headshots.

Headshots should be refreshed at least every other year by a professional photographer. Selfies are not allowed. Hairstyles and hair color changes. We age. We change. Make sure your headshot reflects the current “you.” An out of date headshot implies your business is “outdated” and you don’t want that!

Refresh your colors. I’m not suggesting a totally new branding overhaul. A simple tweak can make all the difference. Go brighter or lighter on that blue. Go deeper on the gray. Change the orange to coral. It’s a simple tweak but will give your brand a new updated look.

Voice.

Make sure your brand voice is still reflective of your business. Are you talking in the customer’s language or yours? If it’s your language then change it. Does your voice and tone seem “stale?” Find new action words that reflect your brand and start using them.

3 - Evaluate your digital marketing strategy.

When was the last time you updated your website?

Did your social media numbers grow over last year?

Are you getting engagement?

Do you have a way to move your social media followers off of social media and into your control?

Do you have an email op-tin and funnel?

Evaluating your digital strategy can be daunting but establishing a good digital base will serve you well over the next several years. So much is coming down the pike in the form of AR (Augmented Reality) and/or AI (Artificial Intelligence). It is especially important to determine and solidify your marketing base - which is your website. Your website should be where you drive your prospects. Social media is sound bites - websites are the full story. You own (or should own) your website while social media is at the mercy of the platforms and their algorithms.

The next action step is to evaluate the effectiveness of your social media strategy. Compare the numbers for the last twelve months to the previous. Are you getting more engagement? Are your ideal clients on the platform where you are spending the most time? If not, then a move is in order to new platform(s) and a new strategy will be in order. Look at your content from your follower’s eyes. Are you telling more than selling? If not, adjust.

How are you capturing your followers? Are you giving them a great gift in exchange for their email address? Do you have an email automation or funnel? If not, why? What can you do differently and better? How can you keep giving value and stay in touch with your followers?

Today’s marketing has so many moving pieces and the goal is for them to work in sync with each other. The fun and beauty of marketing is that it is always changing. Be proactive and honest with your current strategy and your pipeline will be full, you’ll have more business and ultimately retire to Fiji and drink fruity cocktails on the beach! Can you say “ahhhh!?”

Lori is a non-technical person living in a technical world. As a marketing strategist and owner of a website design company, Lori has over 30 years as an entrepreneur and marketer. Her program, Make Your Marketing Simple, is helping confused and

overwhelmed entrepreneurs navigate today’s marketing maze. During her career, she has been an entrepreneur as well has been fired, downsized and laid off twice in the space of 2 years. She is currently writing a book for entrepreneurs that are looking to profit from their experience. She loves her Atlanta Braves baseball, football and Angel’s Envy bourbon.