So it’s a new year and we’ve all started working out, eating right, and planning to maybe find that special someone (I’m talking about you eHarmony commercials!) but what about professional goals?
As I have been working with customers who are wrapping up 2014 and outlining their 2015 marketing strategies, I have realized several areas that have proven pivotal to success for B2B and B2C marketers alike. Here are the three steps to measuring marketing results for 2015:
#1 Commit to get control of your data
Get all of your data in one place
If you accomplish nothing else this year, get your data out of its respective silos (CRM, web analytics, social media platforms, etc.) and MAKE it talk with each other. With social media marketing continuing to rise, cross channel attribution becomes critical to making your data actionable in 2015.
Clean it up
Duplicates and outdated or missing information can cause a rift in your data relationship. If your not sure where to start, plan a re-engagement campaign for contacts on your list who have fallen out of love with you, or a relationship-building status update for your less active customers.
Make your data actionable
Think you know your best customers? Prove it! Analyzing the customer journey of your best customers not only gives you great insight into which of your efforts are most successful, but also how you can target contacts more like them. Start by identifying what they have in common or similar behavioral patterns, and don’t forget to follow them to the “end” of their journey for close loop reporting and predictive analysis.
#2 Resolve to look beyond email opens and CTR’s
Define how you will measure success
Do you want new business or more business from existing customers? To pass more leads to sales? Increase orders by 80%? Outlining the key performance indicators for your company, department, or project at a 20,000 foot view will help you focus throughout the year. Pick three you want to accomplish in Q1 and start outlining a plan to get you there. Still at a loss? What is the one thing YOU will be measured on this year?
Email engagement and personalized messaging
If you are looking to increase click through rates (CTR), creating personalized messages (beyond first name and subject line) in drip/nurturing email campaigns is a good place to start. Nurture campaigns have an 80% higher CTR than one-off emails. However, clicks won’t put dinner on the table! Identify what it is you really want contacts to do in each stage of their customer lifecycle and engage with them across all marketing platforms to do it. It’s not about who you throw the ball to, it’s about who throws it BACK!
#3 Get off the reactive marketing treadmill
Content marketing
This is where the rubber meets the road in strategic marketing! Use your content to demonstrate what you know more about than anyone else. Generate excitement, action, and show your culture. Let your prospects know how their lives will be better once they are customers, and teach your customers how to become your best customers. Start by repurposing or elaborating on your existing website or marketing collateral. These can be broken down into bite-sized nuggets and spread out into great drip campaigns!
Time to plan
Plotting out your marketing efforts is fundamental to becoming more proactive. You will need to segment your audience, create nurturing tracks for each stage, and decide where and when to distribute. It seems like a lot but just use the birthday invitation template –
To, From, What, Where, When, and don’t forget to ask for the RSVP!
Plan for the unplanned
You have your pristine marketing calendar, complete with timeline, content, distribution channels, keywords… and then life happens. The key to incorporating the unexpected is to plan for it! Leave room each quarter or month for a “surprise entry.” This allows you to push something back if a time-sensitive topic is introduced or to get your head out of the weeds long enough for a burst of new inspiration.
2015 is bound to be your best year ever! You are destined for a killer physique, the love of your life, and now… marketing greatness! There is a lot to do! Start where you are, use what you have, and do what you can. We are here to help.
