Spring clean your marketing in 5 easy steps!

1. Clean your database.

If you are still blasting out emails to an old or paid for email database then now is the time to cleanse. You are not only wasting your marketing resources and budget, but you are affecting your brand.

Spam monitors are ruling out unwanted mail and if you are emailing an unmanaged list, it is likely you are coming under the threshold for spam, which could result in your ISP being blocked for email marketing.

Many email providers allow you to see statistics on emails that have been sent such as click through rate, unsubscribes, bounced data which all help you monitor if your database is effective.

2. Remove Fake followers on Twitter and Instagram.

The chances are you have fake followers on Twitter and Instagram, which are putting you at risk for having your account deleted for spam. Plus this is giving you false insights on your engagement and posts that have reached your audience, because fake followers cannot buy your product or service!

Tools such as Fakers will tell you how many fake accounts are following you: https://fakers.statuspeople.com/

You can also run a Twitter Audit: https://www.twitteraudit.com

Remove the fake followers on your Instagram with IGExorcist: http://www.igexorcist.com/

3. Polish your brand assets on all channels.

Maintaining a crisp, clean and professional brand is vital for your reputation. Check that your logo is visible and consistent on your website, social media, letterheads etc. Have you resized your cover images to match the dimensions of Twitter and Facebooks new guidelines?

If there are multiple people using branded documents within your organization now is the time to introduce some brand guidelines to keep things consistent. Send out an update letting employees know it’s there and how to use it.

Now is the time for maintenance on every sales and marketing touch point!

4. Update your website.

You wouldn’t be the only one if you said you haven’t updated your website in a while as this channel is often overlooked, however a website is the home of your business. Check your contact details are correct, the promotions are current, any new products/services are featured, the client listing has been updated with new clients and old clients have been removed and your blog posts are less than 1 month old.

Not updating your website can cause you to lose customers and increase your drop off rating. Encourage sessions with durations longer than 1 minute and you’ll soon find that you are receiving more customer enquiries!

5. Do your research.

In order to improve your own products services you need to be in the know of what your competition are doing. If you pay regular attention to the competition then you can future-proof your business and present your offering in a better way.

Competitor analysis is not about copying them, but to understand as much as possible. For example:

- What services do they offer?

- What is their packaging like?

- What are their prices like?

- What is their style of marketing like?

By following these 5 easy steps, you can move focus on your Spring/Summer 2015 campaigns.

If you need any advice on marketing or would like help putting a strategy together, tell us your company name and we will email you a FREE Marketing MOT suggesting improvements. Contact us at hi@gemmediamk.com.