Spring clean your marketing.

I read this story about how spring cleaning started as a ritual to clear away winter’s mess; in the old-timey days, homes were heated by fires and doors were kept shut, which led to soot and grime accumulating in the cold months. This got me thinking about what has built up in our business that may not be necessary (or downright messy) and what clutter we’ve collected that isn’t needed. 

It’s time to give our marketing a spring clean, toss open the windows and let fresh air and sunlight into our plans and goals. This is an opportunity to approach our business with new ideas! So, let’s get started with a few quick and effective ways to get us fresh for the season.

ARE YOU ON BRAND? 

Take a look at your key messages and brand voice across tactics you’ve put into the market this year. Have they all been on-brand and consistent? Is it time for some tweaking or a total re-write? I’ll admit that I’m constantly tinkering with our messaging as we learn more about our customers, refine our offering and gather feedback. If you aren’t polishing your message now and then, I have to wonder why not. 

Another brand area that is good to perk up from time to time is your visuals. Take stock of your photos and graphics, and assess if they reflect your brand and your audience. Do your customers see themselves in your visuals?

WHAT’S HAPPENING ON YOUR WEBSITE? 

I’m sure your website is simple and offers a great, clear visitor experience. Once you’ve had a chance to make any adjustments to messaging, voice and visuals, it’s time to freshen up your website. 

Now is the time to update your welcome/email pop-up (if you have one), your homepage banner, and your “About” photo. It’s also worthwhile to look at your SEO if you haven’t since your website launched. 

TAKE A WALK IN YOUR CLIENT’S SHOES. 

I believe it’s vital to experience your audience's journey for yourself. We all have the best intentions for how we engage our customers, but if there are issues, errors or roadblocks at any step of their journey, it could be costing you clients. So, best to uncover the truth for yourself.

Start with a sweep of your social channels; check the bio, the call to action, the overall aesthetic and content direction. Are you making a good first impression? 

Sign up for your newsletter, read over your content, and judge the design, timing of delivery, and call to action in your email sequences. Take a look at your blogs with a curious and critical eye. Are you writing to your audience about things they care about and want to follow up on? 

What is your checkout experience, invoicing, onboarding and offboarding like? Are there places where you can make the experience more simple, positive or memorable? 

We’ve had a lot of fun with this exercise.  Marketing should be iterative. By putting ourselves in the shoes of your customers, or hearing from them directly, we can always learn and improve on the experience they have with our brand. 

If you find yourself without the time to spring clean, our Marketing Maintenance Check is built for you! Say hey, we’d love to get this in motion with you.