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The holidays are behind us and, if you are like most people, thoughts of shaping up your personal and professional life are on the forefront of your mind. January is the natural time for identifying areas neglected over the past few months (or years) and making plans to remedy these failings. As you create your list of New Year’s Resolutions, here are five things you can do to shape up your marketing this year.
- Update content – Review your website and marketing collateral to ensure that the information is accurate and that you are communicating the correct message to your target market. More likely than not, you will find that some of the information you are communicating is out-of-date or completely incorrect. You will also find that you have made advancements in your business since your last update that you would now like to showcase. Updating your content will help you better communicate an accurate message to prospects.
- Create supplemental collateral – Think ahead to your marketing efforts for the year and identify marketing pieces that are missing and can help you in your efforts. You may have a brochure, but do you have specific information about the unique services you offer in a niche market? A few supplemental marketing pieces can make a huge difference in the effectiveness of your communication this year.
- Take a new headshot – Are you as good looking or as young as your headshot suggests? Probably not. If it has been more than five years, or if your physical appearance has significantly changed, it is time to book a photographer. Accurate headshots are important elements to include in staff bios, on the website, in directories and on social media profiles. Don’t mislead prospects and centers of influence (COI) with an out-of-date photo.
- Update your database – Your database of clients, prospects and COIs is the lifeblood of your marketing, so it is critical that the information is accurate. A good place to start is by looking over your email marketing reports for contacts who have bounced in previous campaigns due to invalid email addresses. Contact these people to obtain the correct information. To clean your mailing list, send a first-class letter to your database of contacts with “Return Service Requested” on the envelope so you can identify which addresses are no longer valid.
- Identify key relationships – Spend a couple of hours reviewing your database, business cards and LinkedIn connections to identify key relationships with clients, prospects or COIs you would like to strengthen this year. Then create a nurturing calendar detailing when and how you are going to contact each of them throughout the year. For example, you may want to place a phone call in January, invite someone to a wine tasting event in April, send a check-in email in July and invite a prospect dinner and a concert in October. Scheduling these tasks in your Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software or Outlook calendar will help you keep on track following up on these relationships.
Unlike many vague New Year’s resolutions without clear goals or timelines, these five tips can be completed within the month of January. Get started today and cross them off your list, and in just a few weeks you will feel a sense of accomplishment towards improving your marketing.
About Kristen Luke
Kristen Luke is the Principal of Wealth Management Marketing, Inc., a firm dedicated to providing marketing strategies and support for Registered Investment Advisory firms. Her firm enables independent advisors the ability to market with the same quality and consistency as their larger competitors by providing the resources of an entire marketing department at a fraction of the cost of a single employee. For more information, visit www.wealthmanagementmarketing.net.
