The new year is well underway and with it comes the chance to take a fresh look at your marketing practices and make changes in preparation for the year ahead. Marketers need to adapt to this evolving landscape. Though it's true that old habits die hard, here are some practices that are definitely worth getting rid of in the new year.
Say Goodbye to Sales-Only Social Media
When social media rose to prominence in the early 2010s, wise marketers capitalized early on this trend by seizing the opportunity to market directly to their audience with what many saw as free advertising. However, in 2017, more consumers want to have conversations with brands and crave interactions over the same old sales pitches.
Buyers increasingly expect brands to have meaningful conversations with them, especially when they have a problem or issue, and if all you're doing is posting sales pitch after sales pitch at them, they'll react negatively. Shake off this old sales-only tactic and adopt a wider social strategy this year. It should involve interacting with customers directly and posting things that don't always lead to a direct purchase. You might be surprised by the results.
Get Rid of the Same Old Call to Action
A call to action seems so simple, but a lot of effort goes into crafting the perfect conversion phrase. And though you may have spent a lot of time and money testing and refining this phrase, take the opportunity to reinvent your call to action in 2017. It's understandable to have some hesitation about just throwing all that hard work away and starting fresh in the new year with an updated call to action. Even though such a change may seem tough, brands must change to stay relevant, and what may have worked well in 2016 could turn out to be a dud in 2017. This is why it's so important to reevaluate your call to action for the new year.
Stop Simply Scratching the Surface
One concept that really took off in 2016 was the modern consumer journey, which refers to the process by which a consumer finds their way to your brand. And while this idea started hitting the mainstream last year, it looks like it'll continue to make a big impact in 2017. This year, brands should take a step back to focus on truly understanding the consumer journey. This will allow marketers to hone in on what's driving purchase behavior from different demographics so they can adjust their messaging, not only via social channels but also in other mediums.
Though no one knows what challenges the new year will bring, getting rid of dusty, old marketing practices left over from the past will help you start 2017 off the right way.
