Q1 of 2021 is almost done, and our only question is: "How did you do?"
Traditionally, I would have reviewed last year's Q1 marketing strategies and re-evaluate what worked, what did not work, and use that as a starting point to evaluate this year's Q1 analytics. However, as Forbes rightly points out, "this assumes the world is mostly the same as the year before, or at least hasn't changed in any fundamental ways."
We all know that 2020 was unprecedented in nearly all the ways it could be, and 2021 is turning out to be similar. I mean, how many times have you heard the word 'unprecedented' or 'pivot' over the past year?
While we don't believe that you should completely rehaul your marketing strategy if Q1 metrics didn't turn out as you hoped, we want you to consider the following three questions.
- Is your content meaningful?
Whatever content, whether it be videos, podcasts, blogs, books, websites, social media, white papers, newsletters, etc., should help your audience view you as the expert in your field. In January 2020, we partnered with international keynote speaker and web marketing guru, Marcus Sheridan, to hear and implement his insight into content guaranteed to drive traffic and sales. More importantly, we wrote a whole blog (a.k.a. our meaningful content to help you, our audience, to see us as the expert in aerospace and defense marketing) that you can read here.
- Are your touchpoints working?
Hubspot, the marketing, sales, customer service, and CRM software, defines touchpoints as any "interactions between businesses and customers that occur during the customer's journey." Typically, the customer journey can be broken down into three stages: before, during, and after a purchase. By tracking these stages and collecting consumer information, you can better manage and maintain your touchpoints. For example, email marketing programs such as MailChimp or Constant Contact can tell you which customers clicked, forwarded, or deleted your email. With this data, you can see who is on what part of the customer journey and optimize touchpoints for where they're at.
- What does your website analytics tell you?
Collecting and interpreting data from your website is essential to online marketing success - and at Aerospace Marketing Lab, we would argue that it's essential to your overall success, which is why we already have several blogs about it that you can read here and here. With the answers to these three questions, you can better understand your strategies and, most importantly, where you need to fill the gap.
About Aerospace Marketing Lab
Aerospace Marketing Lab brings more than 20 years of complex aerospace marketing, sales, branding, and development experience and insight to every customer. We understand the pressure of Q1 performance and how that sets the tone for the rest of the year. We use this insider knowledge to break boundaries, optimize strategy, and raise aerospace and defense clients to the next level. Are you ready to take that step?