Small Business Today Magazine DEC 2014 NOUN INVESTMENTS | Page 30

EDITORIALFEATURE

Out With the Old, in With the New:  
3 Ways to Refresh Your Marketing Strategy
in the New Year                  
By Aimee Woodall

C

an you believe another year has almost
passed?  Just like your wardrobe or messy
garage, there are some things that should not
follow you into 2015 and some that should
stick around.  The same is true with your business
marketing strategy.

Out with the old and in with the new, I say!  Here
are three things you can do to tidy up your marketing in 2015:

The old:  Delegating your social media to
your intern.
The new:  Crafting a strategic social media plan.

Instead of leaving your social media success up
to chance, invest the time and resources into crafting a strategic social media plan.  This will take the
form of two different strategies:  an operational
plan and an editorial plan.  An operational plan lays
out the mechanics behind a social strategy—when,
where, and how content is shared and an editorial
plan gives direction to the content being posted.

Don’t only think about what you are posting
or how you are posting the content; think about
where your brand is living online.  Does your insurance company need Pinterest?  Maybe not.  Stick
to the social networking sites that make sense for
your audience and don’t take on more than you
can handle.

Being strategic about social media will alleviate
headaches, like missed networking opportunities,
and will help create a cohesive brand.

The old:  Overusing the press release.
The new:  Targeting the media contacts that
make sense—with personality!

Reporters are very busy people with deadlines
throughout the day.  Chances are, when they receive your fourth press release for the month, little attention will be paid.  This is not to say that
the traditional press release isn’t important, but it

28 SMALL BUSINESS TODAY MAGAZINE [ DECEMBER 2014 ]

should be saved for monumental announcements
that require a traditional approach.

Instead of bogging down your work day with writing multiple press releases, identify the media contacts you want to reach and draft a quick email with
the top three to five points you want to convey.  Ask
them if they would like more information and let
them know you want to be a resource.  You w