We made it to the half-way point!
To say the first half of 2020 has been eventful is a complete understatement. Each month has felt like a new season of our favorite Netflix series. We have been through a global pandemic, which forced many businesses to close their doors for several months. We've seen racial and systematic injustice, protests, riots, and an economic crisis in just six months.
We think it’s safe to say that 2020 is nothing that we could have ever imagined in our wildest dreams. This year of vision has forced us to focus on some really important issues and reassess how we do business, our personal beliefs and behaviors, and how we interact with the world around us.
Mid-Year Checkup
In order to fully understand and acknowledge where we are in our business, it is important that we have a mid-year checkup. This is your chance to review those goals you made at the beginning of the year, see what you've accomplished, where you need to redirect your attention and pull together a solid game plan to finish this year out.
So let’s jump in.
Reflection
What’s one word you would use to describe how you feel about your business's marketing right now? Don’t spend too much time analyzing your answer. Say aloud the first word that comes to mind.
That’s your truth.
In order to develop a strong plan for moving forward, we must first acknowledge where we are.
Now let’s take a moment to sit in this feeling. If your word was “lost”, ask yourself why do you feel lost? What could you do to change that? If your word was “satisfied”, ask yourself what were you able to accomplish to bring that level of satisfaction? How can you direct that towards other areas of your business?
Be sure to write down the answers to these questions because they will help you when we get to the planning stage.
Objectives and Goals
Now is the time to pull out that vision board or list you made back in January if you can find it. With everything going on this year, it’s perfectly reasonable to not remember where you filed that list of goals away. In fact, now is a great time to make a new list!
If you do have your list, look at your top five to ten goals. Have you accomplished any of them? If not, why? Reflect on what went well and what did not. Be as transparent as possible. There is no reason to fudge the truth here. If you haven't accomplished any of your goals, that’s fine. You have an entire six months left to put in work. If you have reached some goals, look back, and dissect what you did to get there.
Write down your top three successes and your top three setbacks. The successes are there to remind you, you got this! You have the ability to achieve those things that you prioritize. Go ahead, give yourself a pat on the back, or that oatmeal cookie you've been eyeing. You deserve it!
Now, let’s dig into those setbacks. This is where you have room for improvement if these are areas you truly want to focus on. If one of your setbacks was having to close your business for four months due to government ordinances, preventing you from reaching a specific financial goal, how could you have realigned your business in order to meet those financial goals? The last two quarters were an exercise in flexibility and being willing to pivot.
If you can pivot, you can profit.
Remember, it’s natural to realign and shift your goals to meet new business objectives.
Choose three objectives and assign a specific goal to each objective. We will use this list as the starting point for putting together your strategy to conquer these last two quarters. For example, if your overall objective is to increase brand awareness, a specific goal would be to show up on a designated social platform consistently for the next six months. If your objective is to increase your company's bottom line by five percent, your goal may be to sell a certain number of units or products. No matter the objective, just be sure to assign a tailored goal to that overall objective.
Time, Money, Energy
This is a big one. When marketing your business you have to be conscientious about how you’re spending your time, where you’re spending your money, and how much energy you are extending.
Time
Take a look at where you are spending your time on your marketing objectives. If your focus is building and nurturing relationships within your industry, how much time are you spending networking? Are you sending those intro emails or DMs? Are you joining in on those Zoom meetings and virtual conferences? If your goal is brand awareness, are you making the time to show up on your social channels consistently? Really evaluate how and where you are spending your time and determine if you are spending it efficiently.
Money
Now let’s talk about money! How much money are you spending to meet your objectives? Should you invest in some e-learning material to help you optimize your website's SEO? Sure, this may take time and money up front, but it could save a lot of money and time on the back end. Take a close look and see if there are any areas that you could cut back on in order to redirect your spending. Determine exactly what you need and the best way to spend those marketing dollars.
Energy
“I just don't feel like it.” We’ve all been there. Finding the energy to complete certain tasks can take a lot out of you, especially when it’s not your field of expertise. Look at how much time it takes to create marketing content for your business. Could you save time and energy by outsourcing that function and focusing on other aspects of your business? Really think about what you can do to add value to your business and remember, the energy you put in is the same energy you will get out.
Tools and Services
Is it time to upgrade your CRM (customer relationship management) platform? Could your website use an overhaul? Are your sales emails converting the way you need them to? Look at the tools and services that you are currently using and make a list of the ones that serve you well and the ones that you can let go of. Having the right tools in place will ensure that your business flows effortlessly.
Developing Your Strategy
Time to get to work mapping out your plan to crush the rest of the year! List your top three objectives. Under each objective, write out a goal and how you plan to achieve it. Next, write down the tools or services that you will need to meet each objective and goal. Finally, add a Time, Money, and Energy value to each. Your’s should look something like this:
Third and Fourth Quarter Objective: Increase website unique visitor by 35%
Goal: Produce free resources, products, and masterclasses each month
Tools and Services
Canva - Create Graphics
Facebook Ads - Social Advertising
Mailchimp - Send Sales Emails and Collect Leads
Zoom - Host Masterclasses
Time: 15 hours to create content and host masterclass
Money
$50 - Facebook Ads
$20 - Canva
$35 - Mailchimp
$25 - Zoom
Energy: Mid Level - Though it takes time, we enjoy the work and find value in the time spent.
There you have it! You’ve outlined your objectives and defined your action steps. Now there’s nothing to it but to do it!
If your business could benefit from outsourcing your marketing efforts, let us know! We love providing you with content to move your business forward but we are well aware that this takes work. If you no longer have the time or energy to dedicate to being a DIY Marketer and would like for us to help your business develop unique, customized advertising and digital marketing plans, give us a call at 256-648-3210 or send an email to contact@ironcitysocial.com.