Small business marketing resolutions

It’s hard to believe the New Year is right around the corner. Eek! Worried about your 2014 marketing plan? Don’t be. Hit the ground running with these small business marketing resolutions.

Implement content marketing

The marketing gods have officially decreed content marketing works! Just this year it went from a buzzword to an official mainstream business strategy. Obviously something’s working not only for businesses but also for consumers as well. Consumers are finally being heard and getting content when, where and how they want it. It’s time to put stock in content marketing in 2014. In addition to a solid strategy, other key ingredients to a successful content marketing campaign include:

• Regularly updated blog
• Content offerings (e.g. whitepaper, eBook, etc.)
• Visual or video content
• Clear distribution plan (e.g. social, email, web, etc.)

Give traditional another chance

No, print is not dead. If you are a small business, you can’t afford to leave anyone out of your marketing mix –it may end up costing you loyal customers. Yes, you do need to have an online and social media presence; however, it doesn’t mean you should overlook traditional marketing entirely. Traditional marketing, specifically print, offers consumers a tangible and credible piece of information. Consumers are bombarded with online messaging, which requires instantaneous responses, that they aren’t always processing information properly. Investing in a nicely designed marketing kit or leave behind may just be the edge to your sales pitch.

Let your metrics be your guide

With free tools like Google Analytics, there’s no reason why you can’t have accurate, timely and understandable metrics. Gone are the days of going with your gut and wondering how a campaign is actually performing. You can easily create campaigns, which will monitor traffic from each source. Now with hard metrics, you can see real-time data and make adjustments to your content marketing strategy, instantly. Furthermore, having reliable metrics will justify increasing your spend on your marketing campaign.

Start 2014 off with a bang and tailor your small business marketing plan to include a comprehensive content marketing strategy. Put traditional marketing methods back under the microscope to ensure you are effectively reaching your entire target market. Finally, by implementing metrics tool to your campaigns, you no longer have to dread pulling your monthly statistics. Make 2014 a great year!

What strategies are you most excited about for 2014?