At the beginning of every small business is a marketing strategy where you clearly defined the who, what, where, when, why and how of your business. When you identify these elements and stick with them, then you will have a successful marketing strategy that delivers the ability to generate return on investment. However, when was the last time you evaluated your marketing strategy? Businesses are always evolving and so are your clients so it’s important to do a shallow dive on your marketing strategy every 6 months and do a deep dive every 2 years.

Make Sure Goals are in Line with the Direction Your Headed
If the goals that you originally set for your company no longer match up with the path your company is on, then it’s time to change the strategy. Let’s do a review. Where were you originally headed? Is this still accurate? Identify the new areas of interest. You need to determine priorities and whether or not it is the right time to alter direction. Re-evaluate your goals to fit what that is.

Look at your target consumer’s profiles
Has your original target market changed? Trends, society, technology, economy all change over time, so the audience you targeted originally may not be the audience right for your company now. What are you seeing in the business? This is a great opportunity to sit down with your team and learn what they are seeing. Your target profile has most likely modified without anyone even discussing it with you. When trying to close deals, our teams will go where there is opportunity. Let’s make sure we are all on the same page with the desired audience even if it means changing your mind.

Conduct Market Research
Market research tends to always be overlooked, but it is one of the most important factors with re-evaluating your marketing strategy. The best way to see how your business is running is to ask the clients. Conduct client surveys and focus groups as just one of the ways to evaluate if your marketing strategy is still delivering the best results for your clients.

Branding
Has your company started to redefine itself? Does your brand image reflect that? It’s important to bring together the who, what, why of your marketing strategy under your brand, as your brand is the face of your business. Is your brand hitting the mark? Times have changed and people notice if you look dated. Are you conveying what matters? Now may be the right time to rebrand your business.

Look at the Numbers
When evaluating your marketing strategy, every company wants to look at the end factor, which is your return on investment. Take a look at the analytics and the financial benefit your company has earned to see what has worked and what hasn’t. Where did your company make progress and show results? When did your company start to show results? Evaluating your ROI is essential when evaluating how successful your marketing strategy has been.

Five Key Takeaways:S.J.Hemley Marketing

  1. Are the goals you set for your business the same goals you are trying to achieve now?
  2. Evaluate your target audience and see if they are still the audience that fits your business
  3. Generate information directly from asking your clients through market research and analysis
  4. Does your brand still represent who you are as a company?
  5. Look at the straight numbers to see if you are receiving the profit your company deserves

About S.J.Hemley Marketing
S.J.Hemley Marketing is a marketing and sales consulting firm focused on driving tangible results for professional services firms. Brand matters, but not without ROI. With over 20 years of sales and marketing experience within staffing and recruiting, we have helped to drive successful branding, sales training, lead generation activities as well as defining marketing strategy for top organizations.