3 New Year's Resolutions All Marketers Should Make This Year

Though the ball dropped some time ago, that doesn’t mean you should drop the ball on your marketing efforts this year. The month of January is a great time to reflect on the previous year’s efforts and attempts, and address any problem areas you may have had.

It’s also a the perfect time of year to re-commit to the most important best practices of marketing, which in 2016, are ensuring that users can get to your content when they’re mobile, making sure there’s content there for them to reach, and giving them lots of ways to find that content once you’ve created it.

So here are three New Year’s resolutions for marketers that are really just commitments to doing the best work you can do in the coming year.

I Will Prioritize Responsive Design

As we’ve previously noted on the blog, mobile usage is not only increasing—pageviews from phones and tablets are rapidly eclipsing those from a desktop. Which means that if your website isn’t thoroughly responsive, you could be losing out on real opportunities as the year unfolds.

Even if your site looks decent on mobile, it’s crucial to ensure that the functionalities are all there. Can potential customers easily contact you without re-sizing the screen? Does your email capture pop-up make it impossible to get from one page to the next? How’s the online shopping process?

In 2016, responsive web design will no longer be something that’s nice to have—it’ll be expected. Make this the year that you either retrofit your existing site, or start over with a fresh new look that loads flawlessly on any device. 

I Will Blog Regularly and About Quality Subjects

Do you feel like you make this resolution every single year? That could be a sign that it’s a good resolution to keep re-making!

You probably don’t need me to tell you all of the reasons a regularly-updated, reliably high-quality blog is important—but just in case, the benefits of a blog include: improved SEO, great potential for inbound contacts, an excellent way to highlight the work your company does, and the potential for a viral post that achieves the kind of publicity money really can’t buy. Of course, you’ll only see those benefits if you’re updating your blog regularly and with content that is worth reading and sharing.

Try setting yourself an editorial calendar that leaves plenty of time for brainstorming, as well writing. Or, if you’re really having a hard time making time, consider deputizing someone else inside your company who can help out. When all else fails, seek professional help—Efelle can assist in blog subject ideation and even writing, if you need a lift.

I Will Promote on Social Media

Now that you’ve committed to blogging regularly, make sure you’re promoting your material. Social media is a great way to build an audience and engage with potential clients—and it’s also a great avenue for increased pageviews.

Try to curate social media accounts that are a mix of interesting industry articles, graphics, and inspiration, as well as self-promotional posts that illustrate what your company is doing and what you’re writing about. And don’t be shy about posting blog articles you’ve written—if you’re putting them on your site but never Tweeting them or sharing them on Facebook, you’re limiting their potential reach and all but ensuring that they’ll seldom be seen.

As readers like, share, and comment on your posts, you’ll not only bolster your SEO, you’ll also improve your company’s credibility and recognition, both locally and nationally.

A new year means a fresh start. If you found yourself lagging in some important elements of your marketing efforts last year, resolve to make 2016 the year you take small, achievable steps toward better results.

Need help achieving your resolutions this year?

efelle creative is an award-winning, Seattle-based web marketing firm that specializes in website design and development, website content management, search engine optimization, and other online marketing services. Since 2005, efelle has worked with hundreds of businesses to help them with their web development needs. Call us at 206.384.4909 or fill out our online contact form to get in touch with a custom web design specialist.