Although it still feels like March 2020 will never end, believe it or not, we’ve already survived a month of 2021. If you’re a small business with your doors still open, you’ve already won!
Regardless of the state of your 2021 initiatives, here are 5 questions to ask your digital plan right out of the gate. These questions will help you identify some red flags and correct your approach before you’re too deep into your efforts and pouring money down the drain.
1. Are you reaching the right audience?
Your content probably rocks. Or, maybe this is a struggle area for you. Regardless, if your content isn’t reaching the right people, it’s not going to do you any good, no matter how much it rocks.
To figure out if you’re reaching the right audience, check out your various engagement metrics. Are your users engaging with you via reactions, comments, shares, opens, conversions, or visit durations?
If your engagement rates are low, it’s possible that your content may not be reaching the right people. If that’s the case, any time invested in your content is that much less effective than it could be.
2. Are you helping your audience?
You audience is busy, and they move quickly online. If you don’t truly capture their attention, they’ll be back on TikTok before you can blink.
Before committing more of your valuable resources, take a fresh look at your content strategy to make sure that you’re providing valuable, and not simply adding to the clutter.
If you can’t pinpoint the ways you’re helping your audience in their day-to-day lives, it’s time to regroup. Try offering them solutions to practical problems, educational resources, something humorous, or some other type of content that positively impacts their day.
3. Is your digital plan cohesive?
If your marketing efforts are not working together, you’re wasting time and resources – not to mention the damage you’re doing to your brand.
Your clients/customers are not just in one place; they move around, and your message needs to move with them. It can take 7 times of seeing or hearing your message for it to really stick. Make sure you’re leveraging all of your platforms in a consistent manner to make the most of all your touchpoints.
4. Are you putting the data to work for you?
Notice we didn’t ask if you’re looking at your data – if you’re not even looking at it, we need to have a different conversation.
Assuming you’re looking at the heaps of data points available to you, are you actually learning from it? Are you looking for trends and correlations? Are you asking questions of your data? Are you set up to properly collect the right information and to test different variables throughout the year?
The data available to marketers today is too valuable not to put to good use. This is the foundation for your long-term success in the digital space.
5. Are you generating results?
It may only be February, but are your 2021 campaigns generating results?
If you don’t have your tools set up to track success and tell you exactly what results you’re already – and will be – generating, this needs to be your priority. You should never “wonder” when it comes to your marketing.
Set up your analytics and conversion tracking so you know exactly which marketing efforts are working, and which ones still need some work.
If your marketing efforts aren’t adding up, connect with our team for help!