3 Important Marketing Things to Do This Fall
September 22 marked the first day of fall for 2016. As of today, there are 109 days remaining until 2017. What are you going to do with them?
The answer to this question can vary depending on the type of organization you have. So, let’s look at the most common denominators.
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Plan for the holidays as soon as possible.
No matter what you do, chances are there are people you wish to acknowledge this holiday season. Make a list of the customers (clients, donors, etc.) for greeting cards and another for holiday gifts. Develop a budget and do some online research for ideas. (We can help with this.)
This is also an excellent time to show your appreciation to employees. Whether you give cash bonuses or gifts, it’s important to share the holiday spirit with them - as long as you ensure you’re sensitive to their cultural and religious differences. Plan your staff holiday celebration and reserve an outside venue if you’re not holding it in-house.
Remember, what you do during the season reflects your brand.
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Take a good look at your marketing results.
Examine your marketing tactics to see if you’ve achieved your strategic marketing goals to date. Learn where your organization is performing well and where it’s not. Make some tweaks to underperforming tactics and monitor them this quarter. Adjust as necessary.
Begin your 2017 annual marketing plan, especially if you’re heading into the November budget cycle. Even if your business/organization is small, developing a strategy will help guide you so you don’t waste time, effort, and money.
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Demonstrate social responsibility.
Did you know that global consumers state they have a more positive image (93%), are more likely to trust (90%), and are more loyal to (88%) companies that support social and environmental issues? (2015 Cone Communications/Ebiquity Global CSR Study)
Brainstorm ideas how your business/organization can operate more responsibly. (E.g. ethical behavior, risk management, transparency, conservation practices.) How can it better connect with the community? Is there a local charity you want to support this holiday season? (For ideas, read my book, chapter 5.)
If you can tackle these three important marketing things this fall, your biz/org will be in a better position to begin the new year!
What else would you add to my list?
2 Responses to 3 Important Marketing Things to Do This Fall
Have Your Say!
Fabulous post, and I love your blog! Here’s what I’d add:
4. Integrate social media throughout all marketing solutions
We have always thought of social media as though it were a separate channel — kind of like the difference between billboards and TV advertising. We would tailor our message and post it…then wonder why that message isn’t resonating with our audiences through social media. But social media is far more effective if it is integrated throughout our campaigns. Here are four simple ways we can integrate social media throughout all of our marketing media: 1) If we don’t have one already, create a blog so we have a place where we can consistently talk about our message and engage our audience through comments; 2) Post and repost and repost using many different messages about our campaigns to attract attention to our message through our promotions and our blog; 3) Ask questions related to our campaign, get answers and respond to our audience through social media; and 4) Host an event related to our campaign and then post (and repost and repost) leading up to the event, post (and repost and repost) during the event, and finally post (and repost and repost) after the event.
Thanks for adding your idea to my list, Elizabeth and for your kind feedback! I agree with you wholeheartedly. Integrating multiple channels in any campaign gives it consistency and more exposure. I like #3 about asking questions. Engagement is so important to social media marketing.