The summer is one of the best times during the year for marketers to find some easy wins. With a quieter office, the mid-year season is an excellent time to get items crossed off that you have been meaning to for a long time. So, find a seat by the window or better yet, a park bench with Wi-Fi and crank out these five items that will save you time later in the year and make you look like a superstar:
1. Homepage iteration
You have been meaning to work on your website for a long time since it was launched years ago, so start by giving your homepage an update. The next few weeks are plenty of time to work with your website agency on cleaning up the online front door to your brand. Think about new imagery, pulling in live content from social media and blog feeds or a better user experience based on what your analytics are telling you.
2. Trade show optimization
This is a great season to regroup from your spring shows and/or get ready for the fall rush. Tighten up your tactical plans based on prior results and get to those new ideas you have been wanting to work on. Lately, we tend to be working with clients the most on email campaigns including marketing automation for post-show sales nurturing, targeted mail pre- and post-show, online advertising targeting tactics before, during and after the show.
If you have a smaller investment into your trade show marketing, summer can be a great time to work with your graphic designer on updating your booth backdrop for a fresher look. Or, for those thinking bigger, you can get to work on the new digital touch-screen display so it will be ready for 2020.
3. The digital advertising test you have been meaning to do
Get to that digital advertising test you have been wanting to try. Summer can be a great time to quietly run some tests or just get comfortable in a new platform. However, take a manageable approach if you have the resources in-house, or talk to your integrated marketing agency about:
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A new targeted social media campaign
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An A/B test on the platform that has provided decent returns
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Refreshing your pay-per-click approach with an audit and campaign update
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Updating your landing pages to be more interesting and effective
4. Press releases
Summer is a great time to think about upcoming press releases while you have a little bit of downtime. You can prepare for the second half of the year and get ready (at least the templates, multimedia, interviews, etc.) for announcements you know are going to happen. Marketers can also play a bit of catch up on the releases you've been meaning to send out for the past couple of months, as long as these aren’t overly time sensitive. Industry publications are not as worried about the date as long as it's still newsworthy for your industry. Summer is always a great time to clean up and confirm contact lists for these future communications, too.
5. Website copy updates
Similar to the idea of freshening up your homepage, there are likely content updates on your site begging for your attention. Think about these quick ways to update your web copy:
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Has your brand added or dropped a service or product that needs to be addressed on your site?
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Does your about or history section reflect the most up-to-date story about the brand?
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Do you have landing pages hanging around from old campaigns?
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Review your call to action statements on important pages. Are they still compelling and working for you?
These five areas are where we see marketers get the most benefit in the quickest time and are perfect chores for the summer season. Your organization will appreciate these bite-sized but impactful accomplishments, and even more so if the economy slows down in the second half of the year.
So, get ahead during this time of year and still enjoy your vacation!
Think you need a hand with your summer to-do list? Give us a call!