Today's Marketing To-Do's
View this email in your browser
Today's Marketing To-Do's
(Did someone you know forward this email to you? You can subscribe to receive my writing in the future by clicking here!)
First, yes I did giggle at the cleverness of that subject line when I wrote it, thank you for noticing it if you did. 😅
Anyway, welcome back to another issue! Huge struggle to get this one out because I've been busy doing Q1 planning and cleaning house. Which reminded me you're probably in the same boat.
It's a little early for "spring cleaning," but I'm covering 3 items you might want to work into your schedule for more efficiency and productivity in your 2022 marketing performance.
1. Do a marketing audit.
You need to sort through your marketing assets and figure out the state of what you have before you develop a plan to create anything new. That includes content, web pages, etc. What do you already have that is either live or usable?
The word audit sounds terribly technical, but luckily, there are a ton of free, easy-to-use tools you can use to get a great lay of the land when it comes to your content or website.
I absolutely love Webmaster Tools by ahrefs. The entire package is free, and you get a number of features including:
A look at your organic growth trajectory and areas to improve
How your website currently ranks in search results for the best keywords
Where you have opportunities to target new content topics
Research into what your competition is focusing on
2. Prune the weak stuff.
I’ve spent the bulk of January in a process called "pruning," which means instead of creating a bunch of new stuff, I’m reviewing the results of my audit to figure out what isn’t performing.
Once you have the results of an audit, it's time to actually leverage that knowledge.
Find the content or website pages that don't rank well, the lead magnets that aren’t being downloaded, the stuff that is outdated or no longer aligned with your brand.
Figure out what can be deleted and what can be merged with other content. I know it feels counterintuitive to delete assets when you want to ramp up growth, especially if you paid for those assets to be created. But by removing or editing your low-performing assets, you can create more impactful, successful work. (Google likes in depth, refreshed content. Most content ranking on the first page of search results is over 1,000 words in length.)
Among website pages I’ve pruned or merged, I’ve increased organic traffic by an average of 121% only since early January.
3. Identify which opportunities best utilize your resources this quarter.
Like everyone else, I'm feeling the pressure to be present and successful in so many different places. But in reviewing my resources and capabilities, there are only so many things I can actually do well.
Don't let peer pressure pull you or your marketing team in 100 different directions this year.
When you're planning your strategy, make sure you're well aware of your priorities. Things you're going to focus on, even if something shiny pops up.
But also leave room for some of those shiny things.
If you jam pack your marketing plan, you'll feel frazzled when it's time to take advantage of key marketing moments or trends that randomly come up. This is especially true for social media and content, but it can apply in any arena.
Having your KPIs set in advance and a firm guiding light will help you make tough decisions and avoid overwhelming yourself.
Great Articles and Content From Around the Web:
A free online course on Technical SEO is available to take. Find it here.
Why ROAS sucks as a marketing metric and what you should track instead. Learn more.
HubSpot's CTO created a tool to let you rate the first word you use on Wordle. Mine ranks pretty well. What about yours?
A look at how companies are using gamification to manipulate us. What do you think of these tactics?
Community-led growth is the future of marketing. Check out this article discussing the growing trend.
Here are 37 inspirational quotes about growing your brand, featuring some of my favorite marketers and creators.
TikTok released a business guide to help you navigate opportunities on the platform. Get it free here.
Stumbled across a free tool to check the accessibility of your website. Could be useful to ensure your website is ADA compliant. Try it out.
And Lastly, Check Out These Job Opportunities:
Social Media Specialist (Common Thread Collective)
Director, Social Media Marketing & Strategy (360i agency - will work on Sour Patch Kids & Trident Gum accounts)
Director of HubSpot Community (HubSpot)
Ecommerce & Retention Manager (Mott & Bow)
(Don't forget to mention that you saw the opportunity in this newsletter!)
Thanks again for sticking with me another week!
And don't forget to join me on either YouTube or Instagram where I'll be releasing some exclusive interviews over the next few weeks.
Chantelle
If you enjoy my content, would you take a minute to forward this email to a colleague you think might appreciate it?