Regular upkeep is an important part of any marketing strategy, but it can be difficult to make time for it. As a result, many businesses fall into a rut where they fall behind on updates that could save time or money in the long run.
Luckily, spring is a time of new beginnings! With the new season comes the opportunity to revisit your marketing efforts and find ways to improve their effectiveness. Keep reading for five easy ways to get started.
- Refresh Social Media
When was the last time you changed your profile picture or cover photos on your social media accounts? If you can’t remember, or if it was a long time ago, now is a perfect time to make an update. Be sure that these images are consistent among all of your social media platforms, as this is not only important for a strong brand identity, but can also make your brand feel more credible. It also gives followers an opportunity for engagement as they react to your fresh new look! While you’re updating graphics, double check your contact information and other descriptions to make sure everything is up-to-date.
- Evaluate Your Website
Even if you have a smaller website, return visitors will notice if images, content, and news on your site is out of date. Not only does having accurate content on your website help maintain strong search engine optimization (more about this in tip #5), but it also shows web visitors that your brand is active. Update images so your visitors have a new experience when they visit your site, keep your calendar up-to-date with upcoming event information, and do a thorough sweep of your website to be confident that there aren’t any broken links or outdated information. If your website is older than two years or you feel that a complete rebrand is necessary, you could consider an entire redesign. For many businesses, having an up-to-date website is a critical part of maintaining your customer base.
- Update Passwords
Did you know that one of the most important elements of cybersecurity is often forgotten or overlooked? Not changing your passwords, or using the same password for every program you use, leaves your business vulnerable to a cyber attack. In fact, 50% of people haven’t changed their passwords in more than a year, and 20% haven’t ever changed them! The last thing you want is to have your accounts hacked or disabled. Change those passwords this spring, and set a schedule for changing passwords regularly in the future.
- Review Contact Lists
If your business uses contact lists to keep track of emails and phone numbers of media contacts and current and prospective customers, it’s important to have the most up-to-date information possible to help you keep in touch with them. To start, remove any undeliverable email addresses from your contacts. Take a look at the email addresses that have bounced and make sure there are no syntax errors. If you have long-standing contacts that you don’t communicate with regularly, ensure that the contact information you have for them is correct. No one wants to call a wrong number!
- Update SEO Strategies
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is critical to getting your company’s website noticed and visited online. To do this, you’ll need to ensure that your website has strong readability, as well as optimization around Google’s search algorithm. Typically, a good place to start is to present your web pages with strong, clear titles and captivating meta descriptions so site visitors know what to expect from your website. Content for each page should reach at least 300 words, and it’s usually a good idea to include inbound links within the body text to encourage visitors to explore other pages on your website. All images on the page should have alt-tags, or a short description or keyword, so that crawlers are able to identify them. Lastly, and most importantly, verify that your website’s keywords align with the website content, as well as your company’s brand and services. Include any relevant keywords that you believe your prospective customers would be searching for.
Maintenance is an important component of any marketing strategy, and you don’t want to fall behind! These tips are a good place to get started, but there’s always more to consider. If you’re not sure where to