15 Resolutions for Marketers in 2015

When we talk to our clients about plans for the New Year, it’s all about growth. We discuss how we can reach larger audiences, be more creative with our outreach and secure more leads than we did the previous year.

As a marketer, you should also focus on growth in 2015. Expand your personal network, move forward in your career and strive to boost your company’s bottom line.

In the spirit of growth, here are 15 resolutions that should be on every marketer’s list:

1. Target, personalize and repeat. With the vast amount of big data at our fingertips, blanket marketing campaigns should be a thing of the past. Eliminate the spray and pray from your strategy to ensure that you’re targeting the right people with the right message, and your ROI will improve dramatically.
2. Spend time with another company. No matter how innovative your company is or how successful you were in 2014, there’s always room for improvement. Spend a little time with another company, even if that company works in an industry other than your own, and see what you can learn about how they’re adjusting to the digital age or what they’ve found most successful for generating new leads.
3. Retrieve wasted time. How much of your day is spent mindlessly browsing Facebook and Twitter or taking the latest BuzzFeed quiz? Make an effort to cut this wasted time out of your work day and see how many more things you can cross off your to do list.
4. Think mobile. Consumers’ reliance on their smartphones is escalating by the minute, a fact that smart marketers will capitalize on in 2015. Create your campaigns with mobile top of mind to more effectively reach your target audience in 2015, and make sure the channel is integrated in every aspect of your program.
5. Give back. Look into undertaking a pro bono project in the New Year, even if it’s just a few hours a month. You could work with a charity that supports an issue you care about, using your expertise to help a much needed cause.
6. Read a new marketing book. Between hectic work schedules and pressing family obligations, reading is something many people just don’t make the time for. Setting aside some time each week to read a new marketing book can reinvigorate your passion for your job, expose you to lucrative case studies and even help spark creativity for your own brand. “Growth Hacker Marketing” and “Contagious: Why Things Catch On” are two of our favorites.
7. Focus on content. Content was king in 2014, and the same will hold true for 2015. Publish original content in your blog, newsletters and on social media at least once per week to retain your brand’s status as a thought leader. Content should be educational, thought-provoking and of course, interesting. Bonus points for visuals!
8. Revisit your social media strategy. A fresh look at your social media strategy may help you realize you’re overvaluing one outlet while undervaluing another. Where your audience spends their time online changes, so make sure your strategy is up-to-date to reflect their current habits.
9. Attend at least one industry conference. Conferences and workshops can be expensive, but they provide valuable insights you might not otherwise have access to. Find a way to fit a conference into your budget and schedule, and make the most out of every minute you’re there. Check out The CMO Club’s Spring Innovation Summit or the 2015 Ad Age Digital Conference.
10. Use more visuals. Images and videos are a great way to enhance content and boost potential for virality. However, it’s essential that any visuals you use are adding some sort of value to your content; otherwise, it looks careless and unnecessary.
11. Evaluate and improve analytics. You should have a very detailed plan to measure your marketing efforts, one that includes website traffic, page views, newsletter subscribers, content downloads and any other metric that’s relevant for brand. If not, analytics should be a primary focus for you in 2015.
12. Network, Network. Networking may not be crucial to your day-to-day operations, but expanding your circle will provide endless benefits in the future. Make an effort to attend at least five networking events this year, and form a weekly habit of reaching out to other marketing professionals on LinkedIn.
13. Think big. With an ever-growing to-do list, it’s easy to fall into the routine of simply getting things done. To be successful in 2015, you should make a daily effort to think more creatively and come up with out of the box ideas for your company and its clients.
14. Cut down on the brand jargon. When you’re engaging with your customers, cut back on the brand speak and talk to them like real people (hint: they are). Your brand will come off as more personable and authentic, and your customers will notice the difference in your interactions.
15. Protect your data. Data breaches were rampant in 2014, hitting some of the biggest names in retail and technology. Make sure your brand’s data, especially anything related to your customers, is protected from cyberattacks and internal leaks. If you haven’t already, look into cybersecurity software or check with your company’s IT department to see what you’re currently doing to prevent data theft.

While it’s no feat to name a handful of ways you’d like to grow this year, it’s much more difficult to accomplish that growth. Write your resolutions down in a spot you see often, and enlist the help of a friend or colleague to keep you accountable.

Marketers, what resolutions are on your list for 2015?