Pestworld Magazine Focusing on the Business of Pest Management
The New Year often stirs in people the desire to plan out their goals for the next 12 months—ways they can improve both personally and professionally. As marketers, we also look ahead, evaluating how we can improve upon our previous campaigns and efforts for 2017.
Having New Year’s resolutions is quite healthy and drives companies to begin the year on a positive, more organized note. But, like any personal goal people would set for themselves, keep in mind that resolutions do not need to be large and overwhelming; rather, they should be manageable and realistic if they really are to be achieved.
To help your company achieve great things for its brand in 2017, consider these three impactful, yet reachable, goals that may help focus your marketing efforts:
GOAL #1: IMPROVE SOCIAL MEDIA EFFICIENCY
Are you finding the mere task of posting content on all of your social media accounts daunting? If so, chances are you are likely not taking advantage of the existing tools that allow you to schedule content ahead of time. These tools can help streamline your efforts and save you time, allowing you to only have to focus on adding in a spur of the moment, timely post here and there.
Before jumping in with just one, take the time to research all the different tools available and learn what would work best for you given your needs. For example, tools like Hootsuite and Buffer allow you to schedule posts across various social media platforms in advance. Tools like Canva help you to create beautiful imagery for platforms like Pinterest, giving you the ability to post content immediately rather than waiting for a photographer or graphic designer to provide you with visuals to accompany your text.
Another great way to improve efficiency is to only invest in the platforms that are absolutely benefitting your business. You don’t need to be on every platform to be effective. Being on one or a select few social media platforms will yield better results than spending time managing a slew of pages just for the sake of having them.
Take the time to evaluate your current choices—how do your particular consumers like to receive and engage with information? Understanding this will allow you to pick only the most vital social media pages and cut out any extraneous profiles you have been investing time in that are likely not providing the return of time investment.
Streamlining your social media practices will not only reduce feelings of being overwhelmed, but it will also free up a great deal of your time that you can use to focus on other aspects of your marketing efforts.
GOAL #2: BUILD STRONGER MEDIA RELATIONSHIPS
When was the last time your company was in a local news story? Get to know the reporters in your area—follow the writers who most frequently cover pest problems. Perhaps it’s the web producer, features writer, or home and garden reporter. Learn what they like to write about, and what topics are most popular in the current news cycle, and use this information to your advantage as an opportunity to offer your expert insights.
By Cindy Mannes
