Yes, I know… people groan when they hear others talking about New Year’s resolutions. I admit, sometimes I do too. But, it occurs to me that if you dig in your heels and refuse to make some positive resolutions, you are, by default, making some negative ones. “We will not take steps to improve our content marketing.” “We will not increase traffic to our website or capture more leads.” And if that’s the case, you can probably count on achieving one more resolution: “We will not exceed our sales goals for the year ahead.”
With that in mind, here are four Content Marketing New Year’s Resolutions you should incorporate into your marketing plan for 2017. Repeat after me:
“We will explore the enormous power and potential of video.”
Marketing trends tend to come and go, but one that has come and is showing no sign of going is video. Every major organization that tracks video consumption (think Nielsen, Google, etc.) shows that our appetite just continues to increase. Even if you only release one short video segment— shot on your smartphone and lightly edited—per month, you are likely to generate significant attention and interest in your offerings.
“We will create and offer classes.”
Whatever products or services your company sells, there is undoubtedly “how to” information associated with it that your prospects and customers are eager to get their hands on. And when it comes to growing your sales, “eager” is a very good word. There are many ways to offer a class (live, written form, a webinar, etc.), but the bottom line is that if you are willing to provide free training content, people will take you up on it.
“We will produce a checklist.”
Often, people think of content as long-form pieces that take weeks (if not months) to produce. However, sometimes the content that is most appreciated and most consumed is something short and to the point. A checklist of action items or reminders related to your industry is likely to be quickly snapped up by your audience. And, it’s the kind of thing that has some staying power, and may find itself tacked to a corkboard for months and months after its release, providing ongoing name recognition.
“We will develop relationships with industry influencers.”
One of the best ways to increase awareness of your content is to get it into the hands of people who already have a large audience. And the only way to do that is to establish and nurture relationships with them. Simply firing off a piece of content to them and saying, “Hey! Would you promote this?” is going to get you nowhere. In 2017, make it a priority to get to know the people who hold sway in your industry.
Your Partner in Turning Resolutions into Action
The best way to ensure that you’ll act on your commitments is to have a partner who provides assistance and encouragement. For more than two decades we’ve been that kind of partner for companies in our home of Colorado Springs and around the country. When you’re ready to get after your Content Marketing New Year’s Resolutions, give us a call. Together, we can make 2017 your best year yet!
