News Year’s Resolutions for Business

In the new year, we all tend to make resolutions. A resolution suggests that you are ready for a fresh new look at the future. Whether it means fixing things that didn’t go so well or improving on those that did.

So this year, we are making New Year’s Goals. Goals are strategic, actionable, and measurable. Below we’ve identified five common New Year’s Business Goals, and given you some tactics to get on the path to achieving those goals!

GOAL #1: I want to grow my email list!

A well-maintained email list can be marketing gold.

Just imagine having a room-/building-/stadium-full of people who are your fans, and they are ready and waiting to engage with you, learn from you, buy from you, or work with you! That’s what a good email list is like. They are your core customers. So why wouldn’t you want to cultivate that possibility?

Fans do not just become fans without a little love from you, the brand. So in order to build an email list, you must do two very important things:

• Identify, very specifically, who your target market is.
• Give them what they want.

If you know who your ideal customer is, then you should have a good idea of what makes them tick, and what lead generator will whet their appetite or more. Spend some time digging deep into identifying your target market. Are they: 

• Male/Female? 
• Educated? Married/Single?
• Where do they live? What do they do for a living?
• How much do they make?
• How old are they?
• Do they have kids?
• What do they like to do in their free time?

All this works, by the way, for business-to-business as well! Just replace the questions with business stats. What industry are they in? Where are they located? How large of a company? Who in the company do you need to speak to? What is their revenue?

Now that you know who they are and what they need, identify what you can give that ideal customer that would (a) encourage them to give you their email address and (b) STAY on your list!

It isn’t just that first giveaway or promotion, you are looking for a long relationship. What are you going to keep doing to keep them interested? How often will you appear in their inbox?

Remember, growing a list now, but never reaching out to your customers means they will forget why they even signed up in the first place.

Add a popup to your website to encourage visitors to sign up for newsletters. 

Pop-ups drive 1375% more subscribers.

GOAL #2: I want to increase traffic to my website!

There are two basic methodologies to increase traffic to your website (or your brand in general):

Inbound Marketing or Outbound Marketing.

Inbound Marketing takes time, patience, work, and sometimes money. Inbound marketing is the process of getting customers to engage with your brand.

Search engine optimization, social media, blogging, thought leadership, and networking are all forms of Inbound Marketing. These things all take time to take hold. But the sooner you start the ball rolling, the sooner you will see results.

Outbound Marketing gives you speed, and requires cash.

Outbound Marketing is the process of getting in front your consumer where they are. Your brand is talking TO the customer, rather than engaging with them. Google AdWords, Pay Per Click campaigns, Facebook Ads, online display ads, print ads, radio ads, television ads, and other traditional advertising are all forms of Outbound Marketing.

If you have the money to spend, outbound marketing (when done right) will give your website a speedy uptick in traffic.

GOAL #3: I want to increase engagement on my Social Media!

You want to increase engagement on your social media platforms? Video. You have to be utilizing video if you want to increase your engagement.

Marketers who use video grow revenue 49% faster than non-video users. From Smart Insights: according to 88% of marketers, video marketing provides them with positive ROI.

That doesn’t mean every post has to be video. And it also doesn’t mean that every video has to be professionally produced. But you do need to start somewhere.

Video on social media doesn’t have to be long-form, and it shouldn’t be! Try to keep your videos under 3 minutes. What do you video?

• Brief How-to’s
• What you’re doing right now
• An event you are attending
• Tips and tidbits in your field
• News and announcements
• Something amazing happening outside your window
• A shout out to a client/employee/partner
• Giveaways and promotions

Post your video on your social media platforms. Include it in your email newsletters. And watch the engagement increase. Be sure to mix in regular posts, blog entries, announcements and other messaging between video postings.

GOAL #4: I want to BE FOUND!

Creating an inbound marketing funnel that helps you get found is the dream of any entrepreneur or small business. That funnel takes a lot of work and cultivating. It doesn’t happen overnight.

Using some of the suggestions above (building an email list, increasing traffic to your website, and upping your social media engagement) are just a few ways you can increase the likelihood of being found.

But what good is getting found if that doesn’t translate into conversions? The first step to converting is making it EASY for customers to choose to convert.

You need well-designed and strategically worded call-to-action (CTA) buttons on your website. CTAs are buttons that tell the user what to do next. They should be clear and actionable. They should look clickable, be bold, stand out.

• “Learn More About Our Product”
• “Sign Up For Our Newsletter”
• “Buy Now”
• “Start My FREE Trial”
• “Get Your FREE Quote”
• “Work With Us”

Here’s a few more ways to optimize your conversion rate:

• Create and use targeted landing pages
• Solicit testimonials and use them on your website and in your marketing
• Create FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out)
• Audit your site for good user experience
• Keep it SIMPLE (fewer options/clicks = better conversion rate)
• Optimize your site’s speed
• Be seen and heard (getting found and converting won’t happen if you aren’t out there). Network, advertise, socialize, and be a bullhorn for your business.

GOAL #5: I want to boost my sales!

The overreaching goal of any marketing goal is to increase sales. There are so many solutions and strategies that you could employ to boost your sales. So let’s focus on the big one.

When was the last time you got really clear on what the benefit of your product or service is?

Why does your ideal customer NEED to make them want to work with you or buy from you?

There’s a big difference between your features and your benefits.

It’s usually an easy ask to list out your business or product features. Benefits can be tougher.

Let’s say you are selling thermal coffee mugs. Features of the coffee mug could be that the mug is insulated and has a spill-proof lid. Benefits of the mug might be that your coffee stays hot and IN the mug (not on you!).

Another example: at Calliope Concepts, we do Graphic Design, Direct Mail and Print Marketing. Those are our services, or our features. But what problem do we solve? What benefit do we provide?

We make brands more powerful, profitable, welcoming and consistent across all media platforms, digital and physical.

If your goal is to increase sales, it isn’t going to happen without strategy. So then what can you do with this information?

Run a new campaign. Target a new market. Create a new offering or product. Write a new blog post. Create a new landing page. Hone your sales pitch or elevator speech.

Getting more clarity on the problems you solve for your customers is a giant stepping stone to increasing sales (and maybe even streamlining your sales process)!

Running a business is hard enough, let Calliope Concepts handle your marketing needs.