The new year is in full swing. Resolutions have been kept. Or not (don’t worry, you’re in good company). And as the weather warms and we start to thaw, it’s the perfect time to assess your marketing for the rest of the year. Let’s take a look at a few ‘musts’ to ensure your brand is maximizing its potential.
Before even looking at your website’s content, it’s important to make sure that it works. After all, if it takes 30 seconds to load your home page, no one is going to read what you’ve written, no matter how good it is. Here are a few things to check on:
Page Load Speed — As mentioned, the longer it takes for your pages to load, the higher your bounce rate will be. If pages aren’t loading fast enough, take a look at what’s on the page and see if it can be streamlined or updated to minimize wait times. Visiting your website on multiple platforms will also give you a good idea of what the experience is like for all users. If you want a more objective benchmark, we recommend a free tool such as PageSpeed.
Dead Links — Few things are as disappointing as clicking a link on a website only to be met with a ‘404 error’ or missing page. Check your links and make sure they’re still directing users where they’re meant to. This is a great free tool that will help you scan your site.
Security — Double-check that your SSL certificate hasn’t expired. All modern browsers warn users when they attempt to access a site without one and will deter the vast majority of your potential audience.
SEO — Search Engine Optimization is one of the most powerful tools in your belt for directing traffic to your site. If you feel unsure of where to start or how to tackle SEO, check out our ‘SEO 101’ insight article here.
Our web development and content experts are ready to jump in and review your site should you need it! After doing a thorough 360º audit covering all aspects of your site (health, security, SEO, accessibility, data privacy, and UI/UX), we’ll present you with near-, mid-, and long-term recommendations. We can also create a longer maintenance plan that involves us regularly checking and optimizing all parts of your site. Want to hear more about the web services we can provide? Check them out here.
‘The Long Story Short’ is our monthly newsletter highlighting everything from our agency’s latest work to industry happenings at large. Don’t miss out, sign up in the form below!
Ok now that your website is working the way it should, it’s time for the next question — what’s on it?
Brands evolve and business objectives change. Is the content still aligned with your goals? Is the tone true to your brand? Is the messaging geared toward the audience you’re trying to connect with? Are your visuals up to date? Do they reflect your goods and/or services?
There are a lot of questions to ask yourself in terms of assessing your website content. What’s important is that everything on your website ladders up to your brand’s core promise and personality.
For most brands, your social media is most likely going to be the most common place for audiences to find you. That means that it’s important that your social presence accurately reflects who your brand is today. Make sure the tone and visual approach match those on your website.
Consistency is important on social media. Make sure you have the same profile picture across all platforms, to ensure your brand is easily recognizable. It’s also important to check that all your social profiles link to your website so that audiences can continue their journey.
Social media takes time and effort to utilize correctly. Do you need a presence on every platform? There may be an opportunity to streamline the amount of accounts you have to juggle and instead focus on those that perform the best.
Last, but certainly not least, it’s time to look at your current marketing efforts. With your main brand touchpoints optimized you have a solid foundation of communication, do the marketing materials you have out in the world reflect the same personality and content as your website and socials? They should!
If your brand has evolved at all in the last year, it may be worth considering developing some new marketing materials to draw more people to the website and digital platforms you just spent time optimizing. AOR is always ready to help with developing or refining campaigns and marketing efforts. You can see some of our recent work here.
We hope this helps guide your efforts as you look to bring your brand’s many important touchpoints up to their full potential. But, if you’re feeling like this is overwhelming or you simply don’t have the time or resources to dedicate to a bit of a ‘spring clean’, we’re here to help! Drop us a note and let’s chat about what your brand needs to maximize the opportunities in the coming year.