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29 Leap Day Marketing Musts

small business vintage leap day calendar

There’s just something special about Leap Day. Maybe it’s the thought of finally having a chance to sit down and focus on that marketing strategy you’ve been neglecting for the past few weeks. Or the endless possibilities for how you might be able to use the extra 24 hours that only comes around every four years to finally kick some ass and boost your marketing efforts. 

Instead of just letting the day slip away, here are 29 ways you can use your Leap Day to improve your small business marketing:

  1. Order sweet new business cards. When it comes to business cards, you can’t get much sweeter than MOO.com. Order some of their new Luxe cards, and you’re sure to be the belle of the ball.
  2. Show your social media accounts some love. Status updates and tweets will often take the back burner when things get super busy but you need to find some time to stay current and engage with your followers. And what better time than a leap day?
  3. Read a book. I recommend “Poke the Box” by Seth Godin. At 83 pages, you could be done by lunch.
  4. Participate in a webinar. Webinars are a great way to stay current and learn about new marketing tools, social media sites, etc.
  5. Ask your customers for feedback. Create a quick survey to assess the effectiveness of your marketing efforts.
  6. Comment on other blogs. Doing so is a great way to get involved in relevant conversations. It can also help drive more traffic to your website.
  7. Evaluate your website. websitegrader.com is a free tool from the folks at Hubspot that provides feedback on how well you’re bring people to your website, converting them into leads and then from leads into customers.
  8. Make a list of 50 potential blog topics. Look at your website analytics to identify the search terms people used to find your site and use that information to help generate ideas. You should also pay attention to what people are talking about on LinkedIn and other sites to gather additional insights. As you identify topics, be sure to include the terms and phrases you want to be known for—they will help with SEO.
  9. Create an email marketing plan. You’ve been collecting those email addresses for months. Use the extra time to map out a plan of attack.
  10. Write a new blog post. Doing so will help with SEO and increase the likelihood that your content will be seen by others.
  11. Reach out to previous clients. Checking in is a great way to re-engage with previous clients. It can lead to new business or even a referral to someone else. Definitely a must for maintaining an ongoing relationship.
  12. Add calls to action to your web content. Look at each page on your website and look for opportunities to add or tighten calls to action.
  13. Analyze your analytics. Which pages and posts are most popular? Which aren’t getting any traffic? Use the data to help drive your content strategy.
  14. Review your marketing budget. Are you over or under? Are there specific areas where your money would be better spent?
  15. Record a podcast or video. Talk about an exciting new product, give a quick tour of your production facility, or provide a few value-added tips for your customers.
  16. Locate interesting photos to use in upcoming blog posts. The right photo can help make your posts more interesting and appealing and helps round out your story.
  17. Evaluate your current marketing plan. What’s working? What isn’t? Adjust as needed.
  18. Plan an event or webinar. Events and webinars are two great ways to attract potential customers. Think about what would drum up the most interest for your business.
  19. Clean out your inbox. This could be the spring fever talking, but you definitely don’t want to have any emails sitting around that have gone unanswered.
  20. Look for sources of creative inspiration. Take a walk outside, watch a movie—look for ideas you can use to better market your products or services.
  21. Update your bios. With your bio in so many different places, it’s easy for them to become outdated. Look at your social media profiles and your website to make sure they are all calibrated.
  22. Tweak your web content. Where might you be able to tighten up some of your content? Where might you need to add a little something?
  23. Evaluate your messaging. Does it align with your brand and articulate the unique selling features of your products and services?
  24. Create a new marketing campaign. Is there a holiday coming up you want to build a campaign around? Something you’ve wanted to try out on Facebook?
  25. Benchmark against your competitors. Look at what they’re doing well and what they might need to improve upon. Incorporate new ideas as needed.
  26. Segment your customers. This will help you target your content and marketing efforts based on their unique characteristics. One easy way to do so is around touch points.
  27. Ask for testimonials. Adding client testimonials to your site is a great way to generate new leads. When done right, they help to add credibility to the work you’ve done.
  28. Develop a special offer. Think about what current or potential customers would react best to and create a special offer accordingly.
  29. Make the sale—the ultimate goal of any successful marketing strategy.

What about you?

How are you going to spend your Leap Day? What would you add to the list?

Share your thoughts below. 

[Image: Flickr user kevin wen]

As a disclaimer, I use affiliate links for some of the products listed. They are all products I absolutely love and trust and would recommend regardless of whether they have an affiliate program.



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