Don’t be afraid, you have 365 days to turn your resolutions into a habit. I’m sure you’ve heard the saying “Rome wasn’t built in a day.”
As a new year begins, it gives us all an opportunity to look back on previous successes and stumbles and to set new goals for the year ahead.
With the closure of 2018, it also means that it is time for New Year’s resolutions. Don’t be afraid, you have 365 days to put your goals into action. I’m sure you’ve heard the saying: “Rome wasn’t built in a day.”
You are not alone in taking on 2019! The experts at Foster Marketing are here with some tips to give you a jump start, and, quite possibly give you some ideas for resolutions for yourself to work toward.
George Foster
Get organized! If you saw my desk, you’d think I’m anything but organized, but I pretty much know where everything is. January is a great time to thin down those folders, clean out those drawers, make to-do lists and a myriad of other things to get organized.
Some ideas: Lose what you don’t use. Empty your drawers and only put back in what you use. You’ll find lots of stuff you don’t use or access. Give it away, eliminate and concentrate.
Make it yours. There’s no single way to organize your life or stuff. Some people use Day-Timers, others their smartphone. Whatever works is what’s best.
Use the brown bag method. Take a brown paper grocery bag or box and fill it with all of the stacks of papers, magazines, mail – your basic clutter. The initial purpose is to get it out of the way and read/review it later. If you haven’t done so in 48 hours or so, throw the whole bag out.
Use the salami method. Think of your project as one big salami. No one eats a whole salami at one time. Take one bite at a time – one drawer, one file, one room.
And, good luck!
Tiffany Harris, President
Tiffany Harris
A new year often brings with it the launch of new products and services that need to be branded, positioned and promoted. But it does not necessarily mean the budget has expanded to accommodate the launch initiatives and keep the marketing maintenance for existing offerings going.
As you develop your integrated marketing communications plan and determine the individual tasks within each marketing initiative, think about the below tips to help keep your task-method budget on budget. Know your go-to-market strategy before you take off running: Take the time to strategically identify “Who” you are as a company; “How” you want your company to be perceived; and “What” your short- and long-term goals and objectives are for your company, your products and your services. Then, you can develop a much more refined and targeted integrated marketing and implementation plan.
The best and most-effective marketing initiatives are the ones with legs: Incorporating projects that can be used in multiple ways is essential in maximizing the budget and will create a more cohesive integrated plan and message.
A project without a deadline is a wish: The longer a project takes, the more it usually costs you, be it in time or money. But remember to set feasible deadlines, “settling” just to hit the due date can cost you even more if you have to redo it later.
Kristy Bonner, VP Digital Services
Kristy Bonner
For 2019, keeping a watchful eye on your website is even more imperative! Not just to be sure everything is accurate and to ensure you have a steady stream of new content going up, but also to see what is really happening – as in what users are doing on your website.
Diving into your web analytics beyond just the number of visits to your site can tell you a lot about what is working and where you need some help.
For example, take a look at what page(s) are ranking for specific terms you’d like to be found for in organic search. If a page on your site is ranking No. 10, with some content tweaks, you could likely push this up to the top 3 spots more quickly than starting over with a new page. Also, look for popular pages on your site and see if you can add calls to action that make sense for your business for an added layer of engagement in a very measurable way.
Also, in 2019, add paid social efforts to your plan. Many clients in the oil and gas sector are seeing an uptick in their numbers via paid Facebook boosts and LinkedIn sponsored-content campaigns for just a few hundred dollars. These options offer specific targeting capabilities to maximize your spend and achieve better results. Just make sure you are paying to promote your best content that your audience will really want!
Beau Robinson, PR Coordinator
Beau Robinson
Look for 2019 to be even more brand-focused than 2018. What does this mean for the PR world? It means that your brand has to stand out from the rest. Being seen the most only goes so far. People are looking for value, and you must deliver that value to be successful.
First, you must ask yourself “Who am I trying to reach?”. Know where they are, what they are reading and what they will find interesting. Ensure that you give yourself the best opportunity for the message to be seen and read, and, above all, make sure that the information delivers value.
There are three overall PR tips I can leave you with for 2019: Have consistent messaging as a part of your brand. The message is just as important as your name and logo. Thought leadership pieces are perfect for allowing the experts in your company to control the message.
If there is not a compelling reason for writing or readers won’t find it newsworthy, you might as well not write at all. Whether it is a press release, case study or technical article, it should be newsworthy and serve a purpose.
Digital platforms such as social media are at the forefront of communication for 2019. It gives you direct access to your audience. Use it to engage with your audience.
From our team at Foster Marketing, we wish you the best for 2019, and hope that you accomplish all the goals you have set out to achieve.
The Foster Marketing team is experienced in integrated marketing efforts for oil and gas companies. Contact our team at 337-235-1848 to set up a meeting to discuss how our expertise can benefit your company.