We’re a month into 2017, and many of us are working hard to put our content marketing strategy for this year in action. Some of us are still enthusiastic to achieve great results, others might be struggling for breath, and there’s even a small group that hasn’t planned anything yet!
If you’re part of the last group, don’t worry, we won’t tell anyone. But we will tell you that this is the perfect time to get started. Why? Because of these three things:
- We still have fresh memories of most of our victories and lessons from 2016.
- We have already gotten the ball rolling on 2017: interacting with our audience, reaching out to our clients, etc.
- We’re in time to turn things around if we’re off to a rough start.
You may already have some ideas of what needs to be part of your digital strategy for 2017, especially when it comes to industry-specific goals, but make sure you make some space for these three items so you can stay on top of the game.
1. Review and Renew your Buyer Personas
Time for another truth exercise: when was the last time you touched that Buyer Personas file before building a new strategy? Our personas evolve in time, their tastes and behaviors change. Understanding what our ideal customers are up to now can help us design more effective messages for them.
You don’t have to do this process every month; aim for every year or every 18 months… especially when it comes to find new digital behavior patterns to refresh our strategy. According to a study by Cintell, 65% of companies who revised their personas in the last six months were more likely to exceed revenue and sales goals.
Essential task: Get your pen and paper (or your Word document) ready and use this questionnaire from Hubspot as a guide while reviewing your personas.
2. Integrate video in your strategy
The marketing buzzword for 2017 seems to be video, so don’t forget to add a space for it in your strategy. According to Hyperfine Media, one third of all online activity goes to watching videos, so having the right type of videos in your strategy is a huge opportunity to reach new customers. Whether it’s short form, long form, your own YouTube channel or live video, each type of content can be used for visual storytelling.
Still not sure why you must add video to your strategy? There are many possible uses for it: tutorials, behind the scene peeks, motion infographics, brand awareness, as a way to connect to your own website… the list goes on. Make sure to budget for the quality standard that fits your brand the best and get the camera rolling.
Essential task: Choose one of the uses we described above and think of ways to adapt it to your brand. It can be done!
3. (The Right) Email is the new black
Amidst the noise that can come with social media, email marketing is alive and kicking in 2017. A well planned email strategy is crucial to keep our leads engaged and bond with them. This goes way beyond determining which is the best day to get more opened mails; it’s about sending them at the right time and to the right person.
Be familiar with the buyer’s journey of your persona, and its many branches (such as abandoned carts, re-scheduled appointments, etc.) to produce the best email for each circumstance. Also, research and find the best automation tools to trigger the sending of these emails when needed. No more flooding your customers’ inboxes with tons of content; strictly the right one.
Essential task: Start by checking your email statistics for the past year. Take note of what content got the most clicks/leads and what fell by the wayside.
CONCLUSION:
Having a documented strategy to follow is the compass that guides us through every marketing action we take. No matter what is your industry, add these three topics to your plan for 2017 and make them work for your brand. Over time, the results will speak for themselves.
How are you going to integrate these topics in your marketing strategy? Leave your comments.