Notice that I didn’t say start over. Or scrap it. Or throw it away. We live in a world where we love to just get rid of whatever doesn’t work. From problems and relationships to strategies and plans, we don’t like to fix things anymore. We like to replace them. Out with the old and in with the new.
But maybe you shouldn’t throw everything out just yet. You can probably find at least one thing that’s been going right. Extract the aspects that are working for you. It could be as small as the logo. Or the fact that your email campaign is working well with your social media efforts.
Consider hitting refresh before throwing everything away. Maybe rebranding is the best way to go. It’s a way to stay current without starting over. And starting over every few years isn’t usually feasible anyway.
- Content. What do you want this information to do? It is important to establish your target audience before posting randomly. Think about what they would want to see – what adds value for them. Maybe you need enriching content like videos and lots of visuals. Or something more industry and big picture related. Or maybe they like original content that you create. See what receives the most engagement, and you can always grow from there!
- Email. Maybe email isn’t the way to reach your target market. But it could also just be that you need a different approach to your message. Does your current email have loads of text? Try incorporating some visuals. Or make it exclusive – email only invites, promotions, coupons, etc. Think about what’s so special in the email that would make someone take the time to look at it. Again, your audience and goals will have a huge impact here too.
- Google AdWords. So maybe the first month of your PPC (pay per click) campaign didn’t go as well as you had hoped. But it’s not time to throw in the towel yet! See what worked, make changes, and play around with some different strategies. Perhaps a more targeted campaign is the way to go. Or segment with more Ad Groups. Google’s algorithm is always changing, so what worked yesterday might not be as effective in a few weeks.
- Positioning. How do your customers see you? How do you want them to see you? This is all about your branding. Your essence. Your persona. Are you reaching your target market? If not, maybe you need to reposition yourself. Try giving your website a face lift and implement a different social media strategy. Or find out where your customers are and be present on those platforms.
- Marketing Plan. How well are all of your marketing efforts working together. Are they integrated? Because an IMC (integrated marketing communication) plan can go a long way. Connect all the dots so the consumer has an experience with your brand. Not just an email here and a Facebook post there. Linking those different touchpoints into one integrated strategy is how you can become iconic.
So try again. Do it better this time. Acknowledge what went right and what went wrong. Learn from your mistakes, and don’t let the fear of failing keep you from trying. These things take time. You can’t expect to see overnight results for something you want to last forever.
