We’re mid-way through the holiday season, and it’s tempting to take a breath and take a break. But kicking off the New Year with a strong marketing strategy can set the stage for continued success. Here are some New Year marketing ideas to turbocharge you for your best year ever.

Marketing Ideas for the New Year | Create Hype | Image via Ruff House Art on Etsy
1. Consistency is king.

The No. 1 thing you need to do with your brand or product is be consistent. This means that your messaging, positioning and look should line up across platforms. It’s not about posting the same thing on each social media platform — it’s more about having everything have a consistent look.

One thing I recommend for clients who want to post on a wide variety of sites is to get a Gravatar, an image that follows you from site to site. Instead of uploading a photo for each site – or worse, being a default egg or pattern – the Gravatar will provide continuity, appearing beside your name whenever you comment or post on a blog. Consider using a black-and-white image or putting your image in a circle or some other shape to stand out.

Consistency also is important in your communications — you don’t want to post eight things in one hour and then not return for two weeks.  Or deluge your customers with email one week and then not get back to them for three more. Strong planning will help ensure that you are reaching your customers and prospects on a consistent, steady schedule. PostPlanner.com now offers a free version of its Facebook post planning app. Using a service like PostPlanner.com helps automate the process so you can create your content at your own convenience and then have it post in a consistent manner.

2. Develop an editorial calendar.

To maintain this consistency in both frequency and message, it’s important to have a plan and not post randomly on whatever subject pops into your mind. Working a month or two months out, figure out what your theme or message is going to be. For example, I have a client who sells beautiful scarves on Etsy. Her editorial calendar takes into account weather-related information so she makes sure that her January focus is cozy scarves; her February marketing theme is color, as we all get tired of long gray days; and her March focus might be dressing for spring.  These general themes drive her promotions, her social media posts, her newsletters and her blog posts.  Of course, circumstances arise where you need to tweak your calendar which is fine. But sometimes planning is the hardest part! Starting with themes and dates in mind helps make your content plan turnkey and easier to implement.

3. Fish where the fish are on social media.

In other words, make sure that you are targeting the right platform for your ideal customers. And how do you know where they are? Well, you first have to figure out who that ideal customer is! I recommend that you picture in detail who this ideal client or customer is. Imagine where they live, how much money they make, what a typical day would look like for them, etc. Once you have that image in your head, you can cross reference that with statics on where those people are on social media.

4. Always use key words.

It’s tempting to just use a great image or a clever headline, but don’t forget that many customers come to you from a search engine. In fact, I would say this is one of my top New Year marketing ideas: commit to running your potential key words through a keyword search tool. People are looking through search engines and you want to be one of the top returns. Don’t guess what they might be searching for – someone has already done the research for you, and a keyword research tool will show you exactly how strong your search words are. There are many good keyword research tools available, and you can always use the free Google Keyword Planner, too.

A new year brings new challenges and new opportunities. Don’t let them pass you by! By putting in place strong new year marketing ideas, it can be your best year ever!

Need customized advice?  I can help you stay on track by helping identify strategic action steps that lead you to the end goal you have in mind.

[Featured image via Ruff House Art on Etsy!]