2018 is right around the corner, about to park in your driveway and knock on your door. By now, every content marketing blog out there (including us) has come out with their own take on what you should do for your marketing efforts during the new year.
Now, today we want you to consider something else: what about making a small list of things you shouldn’t do next year? Sometimes, when we focus too much on implementing new processes and experimenting with new trends, we tend to forget about those bad marketing habits we’ve been dragging for months, or even years!
With that in mind, this week’s blog post will outline four big no-nos you need to correct as soon as you finish that first glass of champagne of 2018. If we really want to start the New Year with a fresh spirit, bad habits must go.
1. Not Trying Out New Things
We’ve been there: a long time ago, we came up with an awesome strategy, hashtag or brand aesthetic for our client, who fell in love with it and so did their fans. Thus, six months or two years later, we may feel like “if it ain’t broke, why fix it?”
The answer is simple: if you keep putting out the same type of content without any upgrades, it is broke and you do need to fix it.
Why? Because coming up with different ways to express the same idea is what will give us the creative elasticity to stay sharp as marketers. Most importantly, your audience will get bored and feel like your message is one dimensional, while flocking out to your competition.
We don’t mean you have to go radical and do a 180° with your brand, but make it a goal for 2018 to experiment with different formats, ideas or typographies. Your client’s next hit could be one brainstorm away.
2. Being Inconsistent With Your Email Marketing Efforts
Email marketing is alive and kicking. But many are still unsure on how to crack the code for their brand. Maybe you started by sending out a few emails every month, but ran out of ideas, or you don’t see as much success as you expected. Or maybe another type of work gets in the way, and you abandon your e-mail efforts.
A great e-mail marketing following is developed by being consistent, not only on the type of content you share but on the sending frequency. If I get one e-mail from you this month, don’t hear from you for three months, but you come back with five in a row, I may be left wondering who the heck are you and why did I sign up for a very annoying list!
So, our treatment for this habit is clear: develop a sturdy content calendar for your e-mails, aligned with your overall strategy, and stick to it, no matter what. Build that email muscle and you’ll see the results in no time.
3. Forgetting About The Main Brand Message
It has happened to all of us: we’re breaking our neurons coming up with new ideas for a client, and we come up with something that’s perfect on paper: catchy, fun and with virality potential.
Only there’s a small problem: it’s not consistent with your brand’s main message.
Aaaaarrrghhh!
We get your frustration around an idea that’s great but just not the right fit for your brand. Sometimes you fall in love with an insight and it’s tough to let go. But, you shouldn’t try to fit a square peg into a round hole. If that thing isn’t aligned with your core message, if it won’t be well understood by your buyer persona, I’m sorry but you need to go back to the drawing board.
You don’t have to throw it away, as it could work for another client or for a future campaign of the same brand. But, please don’t be unfair with your creative kung-fu by trying to make a not good enough idea happen.
4. Procrastinating On Staying Up To Date With Your Marketing Craft
Be honest, when was the last time you took a new course on something related to your marketing work? Did you do it during this year at all?
Our line of work demands us to be constant learners. And even if the day to day job is a school of its own, it’s good to dedicate some time to focus on sharpening your marketing skills with a quality course or by reading good content linked to your industry.
We’re grateful to live in an era with more access to knowledge than ever, so what are you waiting for? You can learn at your own pace and immediately practice your new skills at work.
Do your research and make the commitment to study at least one course every six months. Your CV will grow and so will the quality of your work.