The year 2016 has dawned, which means it’s now possible to look back at what happened in 2015 and make plans for the year to come. While it’s always important to look forward, it’s especially important to look back now since this is the point where you can finally start implementing the changes you’ve been wanting to make for a long time. Maybe you’ve wanted to evolve your business and take it in a new direction, or perhaps you’ve felt like you’re finally finding your voice and saying what you really want to say. No matter what, there’s now a new opportunity in front of you and you should absolutely take advantage of it. This post will help you figure out what you should do going forward so you can continue evolving and thriving as a business owner or marketer.
Set Achievable Goals
When you set measurable goals for yourself, you set yourself up for success. If you want to grow your email list this year, for example, you can develop a plan to do so. Maybe you’ll commit to sending out a blog post every two weeks to help your readers get more out of their time on your email list. Or perhaps you’ll decide to follow up with a free downloadable ebook that’s inspired by your blog posts. Regardless, setting measurable goals will help you track your progress and determine whether or not you’ve reached the end result you wanted to reach. The more you can measure, the more you’ll be able to track your progress and determine whether or not you’ve reached your goal.
Dedicate Time To The Task
Unfortunately, too often we see business owners and marketers who want to grow an email list but don’t have the time to dedicate to the task. While it’s important to have a steady stream of potential customers emailing you, it’s just as important to send the right messages to the right people at the right time. If you want to grow an email list, you’ll have to put in the time to build a rapport with your audience and understand them as individuals. That means spending time on social media interacting with your audience and providing value. It also means you should be sending them emails at least once a week to maintain their interest in your product or service and to make sure they don’t forget about you. If you don’t believe you have the time to dedicate to the task, then perhaps you should consider hiring help. It’s important to have someone supporting you in your efforts to grow an email list so you can focus on what’s important to you and your business.
Use Valuable Material
No one wants to get invested in material that doesn’t pay off. It’s important to find materials that are both useful and cost-effective. If you want to reach the largest audience possible, focus on social media marketing. With a little planning and research, you’ll be able to choose which platforms to use and how to use them. There are lots of free tools online that can help you plan out your social media strategy. If you decide to hire help, ask them to dig into your social media accounts and find the ones that are performing well and use that as a guide for the year. Alternatively, you can also use your email list to help determine which platforms to use. The more you use, the more you’ll discover and the more you’ll benefit from.
Utilize The Right Metrics
It’s important to look at the metrics that matter. Depending on what you’re looking for, you can choose from a variety of metrics to track. If you want to know how many people opened your email, how many people clicked on a specific link or simply viewed a certain amount of content, then you should be tracking those types of metrics. If you want to know how engaged your audience is, then you can measure the amount of time they spend on your content and the frequency with which they return to your content. This is why you need to establish a clear connection with your audience and understand what motivates them to engage with you. It’s important to choose metrics that will allow you to quickly identify any problems that might exist within your content or strategy. For example, if you notice that a certain type of content is driving traffic but isn’t converting into sales, then you might want to reevaluate your content marketing strategy and decide whether or not this is the right direction for your company.
Measure The Results
It’s important to take a step back and look at the results of your efforts. While it’s always nice to see numbers go up and be able to report on how many people you’ve reached, it’s even more important to see numbers that mean something. If you want to grow an email list, you’ll have to put in the time to track the results of your efforts. In the beginning, it can be difficult to see the results of your efforts, but as you continue to track and measure your results, you’ll quickly see the benefits. If you don’t believe you have the time to track the results of your efforts, then perhaps you should consider hiring help. It’s important to be able to see the results of your marketing efforts so you can determine whether or not this was the right direction for your business.
Organizing a winning email marketing strategy isn’t hard – it just takes a little bit of time. With careful planning and research, you can ensure you choose the right platforms for reaching your audience and measure the results of your efforts. What are you waiting for? Get started today!