Time for a marketing makeover?

If you’ve been conducting your marketing without a clear plan, it’s time for a marketing makeover. Just like a personal makeover, changing your marketing will enhance your assets. For some organizations, this might mean some simple updating and freshening of ideas and materials. For others, it might mean a total do over. You probably know if you need a makeover, even if you haven’t admitted it. For those who don’t know, here are some questions to ask.

1. If you have a marketing plan, how old is it? Have your business priorities changed
   since you developed your plan?
2. What are your overall business goals? How can your marketing strategy help achieve
   those goals?
3. What do you want people to know about your business? How well are you communicating
   those messages?
4. Who is your target audience? Are there others you should be pursuing but haven’t? How
   does this change your strategy?
5. What are your competitors doing well? Are you competing successfully with them? How
   are you different or better?
6. What marketing efforts have shown promise? Which ones flopped? Do you know why?
7. Do your communication materials have a consistent look? Are they well written? Do
   your website, social media, and printed materials have consistent messages? How
   old is the content on your website? Do your signage and décor reflect your
   brand?
8. Do you have graphic standards for logo use, colors and copy fonts? Do you know
   what your Pantone Matching System number is for your logo and always use it
   when having documents professionally printed?
9. Do you have reliable, recent customer research? How are you using it?
10. Does your charitable giving align with your company’s mission, vision and values? Or
    do you give to one thing and another without considering how it affects your
    brand?

It’s a new year with new possibilities. To make the most of it, make over your marketing.