When’s the last time you took a good look at your marketing resources?  If you want to make the most out of your marketing efforts, it’s important you ensure that these resources, which combine to make up your marketing toolbox, are up-to-date.  I always recommend to my clients that they update their marketing toolbox at least once a year, in order to ensure that they have the right tools to accomplish their goals.  Of course, depending on what tool it is that you are using, some tools may need to be updated more frequently than others, for example your email marketing contact lists. 

Now that most companies are experiencing a slower period of business, I highly recommend taking advantage of this time to optimize your marketing toolbox.  Here are my recommendations for getting started:

Define your goals

Just like you would with other areas of your business, it’s important to establish specific goals for your marketing. In doing so, you’ll paint a clearer picture of what types of resources or tools you’ll need to accomplish them.  Now that you’ve likely experienced some form of setback as a result of COVID-19, you can reevaluate your previously defined goals or create new ones based on a realistic outlook for your business.  By having clear, measurable goals, you’ll be able to better calculate your marketing ROI, and see what tools are or aren’t working for you.

Review your current tools

Once your marketing goals have been defined, I recommend reviewing your current marketing toolbox to see what tools you already have.  Be sure to include marketing automation platforms, all communication tools including your website, social media and email marketing accounts, traditional and digital advertising outlets, and design software.  Consider whether your current tools will allow you to work towards accomplishing your marketing goals, or if you’re missing any key tools in order to do so. 

While you do this, keep track of any changes or optimizations that need to be made to each tool.  For example, does your design software require an update to run new features?  Have your email lists been updated to include new leads?  In order to effectively market your business, you must ensure that the tools you are using are running efficiently.  Additionally, I always encourage my clients to keep up with the latest marketing trends as they relate to their business and customers.  For example, if your target market is Gen Z, TikTok is the place to be.  Be sure that you are adding the newest tools to your toolbox as you see fit.

Make a plan

Now that you have clearly defined marketing goals and an optimized toolbox, make a plan for using it and stick to it.  Marketing is an investment and it takes time to work, so consistency and frequency are key to success.  One thing I tend to notice with businesses is they forget to measure their results.  During your marketing campaigns, be sure to review any relevant metrics to provide you with insights on what is and isn’t working.  This will allow you to make adjustments accordingly. 

If you’re already making changes to your business, now is the perfect time to also optimize your marketing toolbox to reflect your new goals.  CreativeWorks Marketing is here to help you along the way to develop a marketing plan fit for your new toolbox.  Contact us today!