Q1 is here! If all goes well, 2018 will be a year of surpassing sales goals and taking your company to the next level. But success doesn’t happen overnight. It requires planning, collaboration, and most importantly, a fresh perspective. If you want to make a difference in your bottom line within the first quarter of the year you have to do something different to impact revenue. Here are a few ideas for marketing tactics in Q1 that will help you get a head start.
Run a referrals campaign
On average, referral leads are 4-10x more valuable than regular leads. In fact, 1 in 3 people come to a brand through a recommendation, and customers who were referred by loyal customers have a 37% higher retention rate. (Deloitte) Kick off a referrals campaign by picking your top 5 best clients from 2017 to tell their story. You can then use this content in videos, case studies, newsletters, emails, and blogs throughout the year. Bonus points if your client is willing to share their testimonial on video. You can see examples of our referral campaign here.
Start A/B testing
It’s easy to use our own intuition to predict what will make people take action when creating a campaign. However, your marketing efforts will never get better unless you test, adjust, and improve. A/B testing simply tests one variable in a piece of marketing content against another, like a long subject line versus a short one, to see which performs better. Find out early in the year what is working for your target audience and what isn’t.
Host an event
While nurturing your clients through email, digital and social media is always a good move, events are a fantastic way to generate interest in your business. Consider an event as a way to make a strong impression in Q1, leaving the perfect opportunity for follow up in Q2 and Q3. Not only is an event a great way to gain new leads and build client loyalty, it gives you undivided attention of every attendee—they're in the palm of your hand, waiting to hear what you have to offer.
Have more questions about kicking off your Q1 marketing strategy for 2018? We’re here to help. Just ask On-Target!.
