Digital Marketing Success in 2018: What You Need to Do Now to Prepare

2018 is just around the corner. Doesn’t it feel like 2017 flew by? Before we get too caught up in the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, take some time to prepare for the new year.

There are a few simple things you can do now to set yourself up for marketing success in 2018. These will give you a strong foundation for growth all year long.

AUDIT YOUR WEBSITE

When was the last time you reviewed your website thoroughly? Take some time to view it as though you’re a new prospect or customer. What information would you expect to find? Is it easy to navigate?

Be honest at this stage. Where is your website lacking? What can you do to improve it? Here are a few items to check on your website:

• Is it mobile friendly?
• Do all of your contact forms function properly? (Send a test through to make sure!)
• How fresh is the content? Is it out-dated or stale?
• Do all of the pages work?
• Are your services represented accurately?

Make a list of everything that needs to be updated, then work through the list or hire a web designer to make the updates.

CAPTURE LEADS

One of the biggest mistakes consultants and service providers make is to not have a strong lead capture system in place. This doesn’t need to be complex or overwhelming. A simple free download is sufficient.

Offer your website visitors a way to engage with you before reaching out for a meeting or consultation. If you need ideas for what to offer your website visitors, click here to download my Big List of Lead Magnet Ideas that Attract Ideal Clients.

If you already have a lead generation funnel in place, what can be done to improve it? Do you have new information you can provide? Can you improve the placement on the page or the call-to-action?

CHECK YOUR METRICS

Start the new year with a baseline for your various metrics. Review your website analytics and your social media stats for this data. Decide what is important to track and make a master list. Some stats are more important than others, but here is a list of a few popular metrics to track:

• Website visitors (new and returning)
• Bounce rate
• Time on website
• Number of social media followers
• Number of email subscribers

Now that you have a consolidated checklist, you can easily review your data each month. Watch for improvements or any important patterns that emerge. Read this article to figure out which metrics are the most important for your business.

SURVEY CUSTOMERS

The easiest way to know what your customers want from you is to ask them. Send out a survey to find out the main issues they’re struggling with right now. This will give you plenty of ideas for new content and services.

Here are a few sample questions:

• What is your biggest struggle when it comes to XYZ?
• What have you found confusing when it come to XYZ?
• What would you do if you had a magic wand that would solve all of your problems with XYZ?

You can also check out online forums such as Reddit and Quora to see what questions are being asked about your topic.

Use this information to plan out a content calendar for at least the first part of 2018. Then simply answer the questions you receive.

If you put in the effort now to prepare for the new year, you’ll be rewarded throughout 2018.

This article was originally published on RosyPost.com