It’s Time for Your Marketing Content to Bloom!

The sun is peeking through the clouds and the rising temperature means one thing…Spring flowers have bloomed and summer is on its way! Changes such as this typically come with a sense of “out with the old, in with the new.” That should also include any updates to your business’s marketing plan and content. That’s right! When was the last time you sat down to consider your goals and if they are relevant to today’s external factors? It’s time to pull the marketing plan out of that buried digital file and dust it off. Once you do, here are a few questions to ask yourself when it comes to your business’s marketing plan and content.

  • Have you reviewed your Marketing Plan? What about Measuring your activities and making adjustments as needed? – Let’s start here…do you have a marketing plan? If not, the Bekoz Team may be able to help you with that. If you do, ensure it is set up in a way that works for you. Go through your plan to see if you have grown or reached the currently set objective. Review the past six months and see what worked and what didn’t for your business.
  • Consider if there are platforms you underutilize or platforms you overutilize. Explore new ways to reach your target audience. Make sure you are getting a return on your investment. Remember, your time, the time of your staff and the efforts put forth are investments. Not to mention if you have someone on your team you are paying to get the job done. Ask yourself what needs to be adjusted and make any notes regarding goal completion or milestones reached.
  • Have you thought of ways to spruce up your digital footprint – Review your website, Google listing, and social media platforms. Is it time to update information or post new content? Are links broken and need to be updated? Always check your Search Engine Optimization or SEO as well! Broken links and stagnant information can put you at the bottom of any search engine. So make sure your website is working in its entirety, and items listed on various platforms are still working, especially if your links are showcased on other sites. 
  • Have you thought about new ways to network? – It’s time to hit the streets. What once was old is new again. Events are being launched, and people are back in personFind conferences, events, meetups, and other events to broaden your network. Make sure to clean up your marketing materials beforehand and have your quick elevator pitch ready! Ready to practice. Tell us, what is it you do?

Keeping your marketing plan at the forefront of your outreach activities ensures you stay on target. A simple quarterly review will help ensure you are using effective methods to engage your target audience, drive growth and achieve your goals.

3 Hot Tips to Create a Buzz

Word of Mouth marketing (WOM) is a tried and true tactic for building a brand culture that will be loyal and in return support your brand, share information, help you generate buzz and be an advocate for your brand. 

By leveraging your existing membership base, key stakeholders, partners, consumers and constituents you can employ WOM marketing tactics to build brand awareness.

TIP 1: Engage partners and establish ways to highlight them and equip them with tools and resources to help them spread the word about your initiatives. Identify at least three local/national partners that align with your mission, brand and culture; you can expand this list as needed, but start with a few that are manageable. Conduct outreach to these prospective partners and schedule initial discussions. Discuss opportunities for collaboration. Make sure you are offering a win-win opportunity; sharing your resources will help spread the word about your organization, but also consider how you can cross-collaborate and share their resources as well. Your partnerships need to be mutually beneficial.

TIP 2: Depending on your organization or initiative, gather a list of friends and family that could contribute to your WOM efforts. Prepare targeted communications (e.g. email campaign) to ask for their support and to share information about your initiative and/or organization. You should also provide them with resources to spread the word (hint: repurpose what you shared with your partners – see TIP 1). To assist with engagement, consider at least three touch points  to ensure repetition for recognition.

TIP 3: Who is in your target market? Identify individuals from those groups. Get them on board as brand ambassadors, and they can serve as an extension of your brand through event attendance, social media support and outreach/education. Make sure you have an “onboarding” process, so your ambassadors understand more about your mission and purpose. Learn more about building a Brand Ambassador team.

Do you remember playing the game “telephone” as a kid…well think of WOM efforts as an enhanced version of telephone. WOM is a powerful way to disseminate information, generate buzz and ensure there is a steady drumbeat of your messaging.

Interested in chatting more about how WOM can work for your organization – connect with us today.

It’s Time to Spring Into Action

As the weather changes, you too may have to make some small adjustments to get the best out of your marketing efforts.

Check out the infographic below for a few Spring Cleaning tips to get you going.

Infographic of spring cleaning marketing tips - review marketing efforts, clean up your website and hit the road