Stop. Start. Strengthen.
Taking a break and experiencing something different can give us a fresh perspective. September often brings renewed energy and the temptation to charge into the final part of the year with a longer list of things to do.
But progress does not always come from adding more. The final quarter of the year can offer a useful moment to reflect on your marketing and decide what to stop, start and strengthen, so your time, effort and budget are used more effectively.
Stop
What are you doing because you have always done it that way?
Businesses can easily become attached to the status quo. We have all heard the phrase, “But we’ve always done it this way.” There’s always an argument for not fixing something that isn’t broken. But what if the longstanding, familiar ways of operating are no longer producing the results you need?
Is the regular newsletter you started 3 years ago receiving little meaningful engagement? Are the right people no longer seeing the content you share on your LinkedIn channel? Do you devote regular time on recurring tasks that don’t deliver clear outcomes?
This is not about stopping activity for the sake of it. It is an opportunity to look at the evidence and decide whether the time, effort and cost involved are still creating enough value.
Start
What important activity keeps being pushed to the bottom of the list?
Perhaps you have wanted to gather more insight from your audiences, capture stronger stories, improve your follow-up or put the next stage of a plan into action.
These activities may feel less exciting than launching a shiny new campaign, but they can strengthen the foundations beneath your marketing and give future activity a better chance of succeeding.
Make September the month when one important idea finally moves off the list and into action.
Strengthen
What is already showing signs of working?
Take a closer look at what you are doing well and what is delivering as intended. There may be an opportunity to build on content your audience values, put more weight behind an effective communications channel or use strong key messages more consistently.
Where you identify something promising, consider what it could become with additional time, focus or support.
Whatever you choose to stop, start or strengthen, ask:
- Are the right people paying attention?
- Is the value of what we do clear?
- Is there an obvious next step?
Our Marketing Wheel of Momentum can help you identify what to stop, start and strengthen, showing where small changes could make a meaningful difference.
