Most people make resolutions at the turn of the year—lose the weight, eat better, work on relationships with friends and family, etc. But how many people think about creating resolutions for their business? The New Year is a great time to improve yourself both personally and professionally, break out of your comfort zone, experiment with new ideas, and take on new challenges. Here is a list of New Year’s resolutions that could help enhance your business in 2017.
Resolution 1: Consider Updating Your Look
The New Year is often a great time to try out a new haircut or wardrobe, so why not consider updating your business’s look as well? This doesn’t have to mean a complete overhaul (in fact, we don’t recommend changing everything about your brand). Instead, think of a few simple updates you could incorporate to give your company a fresh and perhaps more functional style. This could be anything from revamping your home page to better optimize your mobile presence to adding a new feature to your blog. Think about what would benefit your business the most and then start there. Small and simple is key—no need to make a lot of major changes that might scare consumers away. Just show them you’re embracing the New Year and looking for ways to continue to improve your business.
Resolution 2: Collaborate With Sales
2017 is a great time to resolve to coordinate your marketing and sales teams so they’re not operating completely independently from one another. The Act-On blog suggests scheduling regular meetings between the two groups, creating a survey asking both sides to measure the other’s effectiveness, and planning out a comprehensive audit. Once both groups are on the same page about where they need to go, consider getting them together to brainstorm and then form a plan to best drive sales. As they say, two heads are better than one, and the input of two teams could be immeasurably valuable. You can learn more about how these departments can work together here.
Resolution 3: Up Your Blog Posting Game
Quality content has a major impact on SEO, so focusing on the quality of your blog posts is a great resolution for 2017. Review your analytics data and try to determine the type of content that has the most positive effect on revenue for your business. Look at various promotion channels, keyword rankings, etc. and try to put together a solid content strategy.
Specifically, in terms of blog posting, it’s always a good idea to post often, but make sure you’re posting quality content. Your posts should be “meaty”, or full of substance. There’s a time for short and sweet posts, but those aren’t usually the ones that get shared all over social media. Don’t wait until the last minute to come up with ideas as, most likely, they’ll end up lacking. Finally, don’t forget to promote your posts all over your various social media channels. Need an example? Check out this post by QuickSprout designed to help others learn from the author’s big mistake.
Resolution 4: Make Data Your Friend
While it may be tempting to jump from one new analytics tool to the next, consider finding one you like, sticking with it, and really learning its ins and outs. Too many business owners don’t take the time to truly learn how to use analytics, so they miss out on a lot of potential opportunities. Numbers don’t lie, and they can give you an incredible amount of insight into your company’s successes and failures. They can also save you a lot of wasted time and money spent on campaigns and strategies that just aren’t delivering.
Keep in mind, you should be looking to metrics before creating content to find out exactly what type gets the best results and/or attracts the most amount of people. Data can teach you everything you need to know about your buyers and their interactions, and it can help you make informed, data-driven decisions. Consider adopting CRM and marketing automation, just make sure you learn how to use it so its potential isn’t wasted.
Resolution 5: Get MORE Social
“Social media empowers you and your team to share your content, knowledge, and expertise with millions of people from all over the world.” The more you connect with others, the greater the potential for your business. So if you’re not already using Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn, or Instagram, your first step is to pick a couple of those platforms and start posting. However, for most of us, if you’re already pretty social, it’s time to start evaluating the relationships you have with your followers. While having a huge audience probably makes you feel pretty good, if you’re not engaging with them, most likely you’re leaving them feeling a little empty.
Try to make real connections with your followers by posting more mindful content, asking for feedback, and going Live, among other options. Listen to what they have to say then incorporate solutions and topics into your social realm. In addition, consider adding social media advertising to your marketing strategy. This is a proven strategy that results in more traffic to your site, higher conversions, and improved brand loyalty. Who doesn’t want to take advantage of that?
Resolution 6: Give Back
There’s never a bad time to give back to the community and, while Giving Tuesday is often a popular day to do it, starting a new year with a new charitable campaign sounds like a pretty good idea as well. Many businesses use the holidays to amp up their marketing and make as much money as they can. While we appreciate a good business strategy, it’s refreshing when a company goes out of their way to give back as well. Think about a charity that’s meaningful to you and that is also somehow related to your business and/or product(s). Come up with a goal and a time frame, and start advertising. Consumers are generally in the giving mood during the holidays, so not only should they respond positively to your act of goodwill, most likely they’ll thank you with increased traffic to your site and additional conversions. Plus, you can feel good that you’ve done something positive to help others.
Image Credits
Featured Image: Wavebreakmedia/DepositPhotos
All Screenshots Taken by Author 12/18/2016
