Behind on Marketing Planning? Here’s How to Still Win in Q1 with Strategic Year-End Prep

It’s October, which means that many businesses are starting to think about their annual planning for the upcoming year. Trying to find a balance between finishing the year strong and looking ahead to next year is challenging, but this is the perfect moment to focus on strategic planning—especially with Q1 just around the corner. Even if you haven’t started yet, there’s still time to make sure your business hits the ground running in the year ahead. 

At Green Apple Strategy, we’re right in the thick of annual planning for our clients, and if you’re just getting started, we’ve got you covered. Here, we’re sharing some of our best resources to help you navigate each step—from pre-planning to implementation—so that you can position your business for long-term growth.

Pre-Planning: Getting Your Bearings Before You Begin

Before you dive into the details of a new marketing plan, it’s crucial to assess where your business stands. The right mindset and approach can make all the difference in how successful your planning efforts are. The following resources are designed to help you gain clarity on the bigger picture and get your ducks in a row.

1. 5 Questions to Consider Before You Start Marketing Planning

When it comes to marketing planning, proper preparation is key. This blog offers five essential questions that will guide you in reflecting on your past successes and failures while looking ahead to future opportunities. By addressing these questions, you’ll be able to approach your planning with a more disciplined and informed mindset, ensuring your strategy aligns with your business goals.

2. Navigating Need-Based Marketing Planning

Marketing planning isn’t one-size-fits-all. While long-term strategies are important, there are times when short-term, targeted campaigns are necessary for addressing specific business needs. This article discusses how you can strike the right balance between comprehensive planning and responsive, need-based initiatives, helping you create a more agile and effective marketing strategy.

3. How to Get Out of Your Comfort Zone to Find Marketing Success

Sometimes, stepping outside your comfort zone is the best way to spark new ideas and gain momentum. This resource explores how businesses can break free from routine thinking and embrace fresh, bold approaches. Whether it’s trying a new tactic or reevaluating a long-held practice, getting out of your comfort zone can lead to greater success in your marketing efforts.

Marketing Planning: Crafting a Strategy for Success

Once you’ve done the pre-planning work, it’s time to start shaping your marketing strategy. The resources below will help you set achievable goals, choose the right tactics, and create a roadmap for growth.

1. A Comprehensive Guide to Annual Marketing Planning

Over the past decade, we’ve helped countless businesses create annual marketing plans. This guide consolidates our most valuable lessons, offering a step-by-step approach to building a marketing strategy that works. From setting the right goals to effectively managing your budget, this guide will help you create a solid foundation for your marketing efforts in the coming year. 

2. How to Set Achievable Marketing Goals

Goal-setting is a vital part of any successful marketing plan. In this article, we’ll guide you through the process of setting goals that are not only ambitious but also realistic and achievable. Learn how to ensure your entire team is aligned and working toward the same objectives. Collaborating to determine shared goals can help generate momentum and keep everyone moving in the right direction.

3. Use a “Marketing Sandbox” to Discover Your Next Best Marketing Tactic

The start of a new year is often full of excitement about new marketing trends, but it can also feel overwhelming. Enter the “marketing sandbox”—a space where you can experiment with new ideas without risking your entire strategy. This resource will show you how to test out different tactics and find the ones that work best for your business, all while staying on track with your larger goals.

Implementation: Turning Marketing Plans Into Action

Planning is only half the battle. Once you’ve created a solid marketing strategy, the next step is to ensure it’s executed effectively. These resources will help you navigate the implementation process, from aligning sales and marketing to adapting when things don’t go as planned.

1. Align Your Sales and Marketing Teams

You can pour all the time and resources in the world into your marketing efforts, but if there’s no alignment with your sales team, much of that effort will go to waste. This article outlines how to ensure both teams work together toward common goals and provides practical tips for maintaining alignment throughout the year.

2. Develop a Process-Driven Approach

Marketing can be unpredictable, with changing needs and unexpected challenges arising at any moment. A process-driven approach to implementation ensures that you stay on course, even when things get hectic. This blog walks you through how to create a structured plan that allows for flexibility while keeping your marketing team organized and focused.

3. How to Pivot Your Marketing Without Abandoning Your Entire Strategy

Inevitably, there will be times when you need to make adjustments to your marketing plan. But how do you pivot without abandoning your long-term strategy? This article offers insights into how to course correct when needed while staying true to your overall objectives, helping you maintain both agility and focus.

It’s Not Too Late to Plan for Success 

While it may feel like time is running out, the truth is there’s still plenty of time to create a strategic marketing plan that will set your business up for success in the coming year. The crucial steps are to approach planning with clarity, align your efforts with your long-term goals, and be prepared to adapt as needed.

At Green Apple Strategy, we’re passionate about helping businesses like yours develop marketing strategies that drive growth and set the stage for long-term success. Whether you’re just getting started with year-end planning or need help fine-tuning your approach, we’re here to support you every step of the way.

If you want to get a behind-the-scenes look at our approach to developing marketing strategies or learn more about our strategic planning services, we’d love to talk.

Innovative Marketing Trends for 2024 and 2025

We’ve talked to countless small business owners who feel overwhelmed by the constant barrage of marketing trends. It’s easy to get lost in all the new shiny objects and ever-changing algorithms. That’s why we’re here to cut through the clutter and provide actionable insights.

One of the things we love most about our role is paying attention to the trends that are shaping the industry, testing new ideas, and helping our clients discover insights to help build their brands and reach their goals.

As we head into the second half of 2024, we wanted to highlight a few recent reports and provide a curated overview of the most important insights. Hubspot recently released its 2024 State of Marketing & Trends Report. A few weeks earlier, ExplodingTopics released a list of the top 13 marketing trends for 2024 and 2025. In this article, we wanted to highlight a few trends we found most innovative and interesting and offer a few ideas on how our clients can incorporate them into their marketing strategies.

Trend #1: Short-form Video Offers the Highest Content ROI

According to the Hubspot report, short-form video is now the #1 content marketing format, with marketers saying it offers them the highest ROI. It’s also being used by the most marketers, with 44% of marketing companies executing short-form video strategy for their clients.

While short-form video has been a hot tactic for a few years now, it will continue to see the most growth in 2024, with marketers planning to use it more than any other format. At Green Apple, we’ve seen this for both B2B and B2C clients. Whether it’s creating short-form videos to highlight thought leadership, boosting visibility with YouTube shorts, or launching a TikTok strategy, thinking about incorporating short-form videos into any marketing strategy is quickly becoming essential.

Trend #2: Marketers Still Struggle with Disconnected Data, Tools, and Company Silos

The Hubspot report also underscored a common challenge faced by marketers: the struggle to harness data effectively. While data-driven decision-making is a top priority, disconnected tools, teams, and information often hinder progress.

Imagine this: Your sales team closes a deal, but marketing doesn’t have access to that crucial customer data to inform future campaigns. Or perhaps your marketing team generates valuable insights, but they struggle to communicate those findings to the rest of the business. These siloes can stifle growth and hinder overall business performance.

At Green Apple, we’ve witnessed the impact of aligned teams and integrated data and it has completely changed the way we build our marketing strategies. When sales, marketing, and operations work in harmony to share information and insights, magic happens. It’s like having a superpower that allows a company to make smarter, faster decisions.

Trend #3: Advertisers Prioritize User-Generated Content

The American Association of Advertising Agencies reports that 96% of consumers don’t trust ads, but a recent study found that 93% of marketers agree that consumers do trust content created by real people. Consequently, user-generated content (UGC) has become a goldmine for marketers.  Platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube have made it easier than ever for people to share their personal experiences and opinions with a wider audience.

 At Green Apple, we’re always trying to find creative ways to help our clients maximize the potential of user-generated content to increase engagement among their social followers. By encouraging customers to share their stories and experiences, you can build authenticity, trust, and social proof. It’s like having an army of brand ambassadors working for you.

Trend #4: AI is Driving Marketing Industry Growth

Artificial intelligence is no longer a futuristic concept; it’s a reality shaping the marketing landscape. From automating tasks to providing data-driven insights, AI is transforming the way businesses operate.

At Green Apple, our team has been all-in to help our clients leverage AI to improve marketing outcomes. AI isn’t going anywhere and we want to help our clients maximize its power while navigating some of the inherent challenges like balancing efficiency and authenticity.

Trend #5: Hyper-Personalized Marketing Evolves with AI 

Personalization has become a marketing staple, but it’s evolving rapidly. With the help of AI, businesses can now deliver highly tailored experiences at scale. From personalized product recommendations to customized email campaigns, AI is transforming the way we interact with customers.

 One of the most interesting trends to watch is how offline person-to-person experiences will be the next horizon for personalization. At Green Apple’s sister-company Olive + Leo, we’re specifically exploring ways to use AI to enhance personalization and build customer loyalty for hospitality businesses.

Ready to Elevate Your Marketing?

The marketing landscape is constantly evolving, and staying ahead of the curve is essential for small to mid-sized businesses. Remember, these trends are not one size fits all. It’s important to experiment, measure results, and adapt your strategy accordingly. By carefully considering these insights and implementing them strategically, you can elevate your marketing efforts and achieve your business goals.

Want to dive deeper into these trends or discuss your specific marketing challenges? Reach out to our marketing experts for a complimentary conversation. We’re here to help you navigate the ever-changing marketing world. You can also sign up for The Core, our monthly newsletter, for all the latest marketing trends and insights.

How Can You Find the Right Agency Partner?

Finding the right marketing agency partner is a lot like choosing the perfect sherpa to guide you through the Himalayas. Both journeys require a guide with deep knowledge, extensive experience, and the ability to understand your unique capabilities. A great agency is more than just a service provider; they’re a trusted collaborator who understands your business and helps you reach your summit.

At Green Apple, we view our role similarly, aiming to become an extension of our clients’ teams and thinking through how marketing impacts every facet of their business. But we also recognize that finding the perfect match isn’t always easy. That’s why we’ve compiled these insights to help you find the right marketing partner for your journey.

1. Define Your Everest: Identify Your Needs and Goals

Before embarking on your search for a marketing sherpa, ensure your team is united in purpose. What challenges are you facing? Are you struggling to generate leads, create compelling content, or boost brand awareness? Clearly define your objectives and needs. Do you aim for increased revenue, higher website traffic, or improved brand reputation? Finally, understanding your marketing budget is crucial. It’s like packing the right gear for your hike—essential for your journey’s success.

Action Step: Conduct a team meeting with key stakeholders to discuss and document your marketing goals, pain points, and budget.

2. Research Your Sherpa Options: Create a Shortlist of Potential Partners

Your search for the perfect agency is like scouting the best partner to guide you on the trail. It’s important to consider the agency’s experience and approach. Some agencies specialize in specific areas like branding, digital marketing, or public relations, while full-service firms like Green Apple, taking a more holistic approach, offering all these services and more. Identify which type aligns best with your needs. Reading reviews and case studies will also give you a sense of the agency’s reputation and client satisfaction.

Action Step: Create a list of criteria based on your goals and start evaluating agencies against these benchmarks.

3. Get Personal: Conduct In-Person Interviews 

Meeting face-to-face with a potential agency is like a pre-hike meet-up. It will give you a better sense of the agency’s style and culture, much like a hiker meeting their guide before the trek. Can they understand your business and craft a tailored plan? Do they use a data-driven approach to inform their strategies and measure success? Are they a good fit that meshes with the stakeholders and departments they’ll be supporting? All of these are questions to consider as you get to know potential partners. 

Action Step: Prepare a list of questions and conversation topics that help uncover intangible factors such as the agency’s willingness to admit mistakes, their communication style, and their approach to collaboration.

4. Build a Strong Partnership

A successful partnership is the key to a well-planned expedition. Clear expectations are helpful in creating an itinerary. Open communication and collaboration are essential, so tools like Basecamp, Monday, or Asana can provide a centralized tool to connect, share updates, and provide feedback. When you take time to develop trust and collaboration, you’ll be more equipped to weather the storms, overcome challenges, and reach your summit.

Action Step: Look for an agency that understands the value of partnership and can grow with your business. If possible, ask for references and recommendations from clients who work in similar industries or areas. 

Take the Next Step with Green Apple Strategy

Finding the right marketing agency partner is a critical decision that can significantly impact your business’s success. By following these tips and taking the time to find the perfect match, you’ll be well-equipped to conquer your marketing challenges.

If you’re looking for a marketing agency that approaches work with the mindset of a trusted sherpa, we’d love to connect. Learn more about our approach at Green Apple Strategy or contact our team for an informal conversation about your needs.

Creating a Ripple Effect: The Art & Science of Internal Marketing

desktop-computer-with-do-more-message

In the fast-paced world of business, where competition is fierce and customer expectations are constantly evolving, it’s easy for companies to become so focused on external marketing that they neglect the importance of internal marketing. But the truth is, your employees are your most valuable asset, and investing in internal marketing can have a profound impact on your overall success.

Internal marketing is the process of selling your company, its mission, and its values to your employees. It’s about creating a culture where everyone feels connected to the brand and passionate about its success. When employees are truly invested in a company, they become brand ambassadors, spreading enthusiasm and loyalty both inside and outside the workplace.

At Green Apple Strategy, we’ve seen firsthand the power of internal marketing. It’s not a buzzword; it’s a strategic approach that drives results. We’ve implemented internal marketing initiatives for our own team and our clients, and the outcomes have been consistently positive.

Why Investing in Internal Marketing is Essential

Investing in internal marketing is essential for several reasons. 

Internal marketing builds a strong and positive company culture.

When employees feel valued, understood, and aligned with the company’s mission, they’re more likely to be engaged, productive, and satisfied with their jobs. This leads to higher employee retention rates, reduced turnover, and increased morale.  

Internal marketing drives business growth. 

 Statistics show that engaged employees are 38% more likely to have above-average productivity. When employees are passionate about the company and its products or services, they’re more likely to go the extra mile for customers. This can lead to increased sales, improved customer satisfaction, and ultimately, a stronger bottom line.

Internal marketing enables you to empower employees to proudly advocate for your brand.

Research shows that employee-generated content is more trusted by consumers than traditional marketing materials. By equipping your employees with the knowledge and tools to share your brand story, you can significantly boost your online reputation and attract new customers.

Internal marketing is becoming more important, especially for younger generations in the workplace.

As the workforce becomes increasingly younger, with Millennials and Gen Z making up a larger percentage of the labor force, the need for strong internal marketing becomes even more critical. These generations value purpose, authenticity, and a positive work environment. Investing in internal marketing can help you attract and retain top talent from these demographics.

Effective Employee Marketing Campaigns

To create a truly impactful internal marketing strategy, it’s essential to implement creative and engaging campaigns. Here are a few examples of successful initiatives:

1. Creatively Reinforcing Brand Values in Tangible Ways

Employees are more likely to embody a company’s values if they see them reflected in the workplace. We recently worked with a client, Maxwell Roofing, to create a branded office space that showcased their core values. By incorporating visual elements and messaging throughout the office, we helped reinforce their brand identity and inspire employee pride.

2. Employee Surveys and Feedback

Listening to your employees is essential to understanding their needs, concerns, and ideas. Conducting regular employee surveys can provide valuable insights into company culture, employee satisfaction, and areas for improvement. We recently helped a client implement an employee culture survey that generated a wealth of data to inform future internal marketing initiatives.

3. Volunteering and Paid Time Off (PTO)

Giving back to the community is a powerful way to build employee morale and foster a sense of purpose. Many companies offer paid time off for volunteering, but going the extra mile can make a significant difference. 

At Green Apple Strategy, we’ve made volunteer PTO a core part of our culture, participating in team volunteer activities and encouraging employees to get involved in other volunteer efforts of interest to them.

4. Fun and Team-Building Activities

Fun activities outside the office can significantly enhance team cohesion. Whether it’s attending a comedy show or hosting industry-specific events like golf outings, these experiences create bonds that translate into better collaboration and morale in the workplace.

5. Employee-Generated Content

Empowering employees to share their thoughts and experiences can be a powerful way to build brand awareness and authenticity. Encouraging employees to contribute to your social media channels or company blog can help humanize your brand and create a stronger connection with your audience. For Olive + Leo, our hospitality-focused sister company, inviting employees to share their travel experiences through Instagram has not only enriched our content but also strengthened our brand’s connection with customers.

Need Help Elevating Your Internal Marketing Efforts?

Internal marketing isn’t just about improving workplace culture—it’s about empowering your team to amplify your brand’s message both internally and externally. Start investing in your employees today, and watch as the ripple effect positively impacts your entire business.

If you’re looking to improve your internal marketing strategy, Green Apple Strategy can help. We can work alongside you to identify the right strategy and help you create a strong internal culture that leads to happier, more engaged employees, which in turn leads to better customer experiences and improved business outcomes.

Halfway There: Green Apple’s Mid-Year Marketing Audit Checklist

We are halfway through 2024 and barrelling toward the official beginning of summer. As the pools open and vacation plans are made, don’t forget this fun summer activity: a mid-year audit of your marketing approach. The middle of the year is the right time to analyze the last six months of data, assess your tactics, and plan for the remainder of the year.

A marketing audit is a deep dive into your organization’s current marketing efforts. Conducting regular audits will help you understand what’s working and what’s not. You can determine what social platforms are most effective for your brand, where you can best direct your advertising and paid social budget, and investigate the timing and cadence of your marketing messages. 

Your answers to these questions and others will provide the information needed to improve your marketing strategy and secure even better results in the future. 

Step 1: Gather and Analyze Data 

The first step on the marketing audit checklist is to gather hard data. As you’re gathering data and information, make sure you’re pulling numbers from every single marketing tactic you employ, including email newsletters, text messages, all social media platforms, organic and paid search, organic and paid social, blogs, and website conversions. For example, if you’re performing an audit on your social media strategy, you can look at your number of followers, your engagement rates, your click-through rates, and the days and times that posts perform best. For a special event, you may consider how many customers were invited, how many attended, and how much product was sold, both in units and revenue.

Step 2: Determine What’s Performing Well

The numbers you gathered in Step 1 provide an honest look at how your marketing efforts are performing. Once you have the data gathered, you can objectively see which areas are performing well and which need improvement. First, note what is working. These tactics can be continued as part of an effective marketing strategy, although consider making slight tweaks to keep them fresh and relevant for your audience. 

Step 3:  Identify Areas that Need Improvement 

In Step 3, you’ll return to the data to determine the areas that need improvement. Your data and analysis will reveal some areas that are not performing as well as planned. This happens to the best of us, which is why a regular marketing audit is so important! Seeing what is not working allows you to pivot and divert resources to more effective initiatives. 

Step 4: Perform a SWOT Analysis 

Once you have a good idea of which initiatives to stick with and which to discontinue, it’s time to closely examine your Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats. 

Strengths include information gathered in Step 2 and additional advantages unique to your organization. You may have significant support in your community, be the only business of its kind for miles, or be known for your outstanding customer service. You’re looking for positive traits that competitors cannot easily emulate. 

Your weaknesses may be determined by data gathered from Step 3. You can also include challenges such as location, staff size, budget, internal environment, and other factors within your company’s sphere of influence. 

While strengths and weaknesses can be determined by reflecting on your organization, opportunities and threats can be identified by looking outside your immediate locus of control. Opportunities could include increased market demand for your product or service or technological advances that can improve the way you do business.

Threats are events that are outside your control that can still negatively impact your business. Examples could include a new competitor in town, relentless supply chain issues, rising inflation costs, and more. 

Step 5: Look at the Competition 

Yes, competition can be an undesirable threat. But chances are, if your competition performed their own SWOT analysis, they would list opportunities and threats that are similar to yours. Use this knowledge to see how they are overcoming those potential obstacles: What types of promotions are similar businesses holding? How often are they posting on social media? What type of content is getting the most engagement? 

Consider this market research as a peek into best practices that you can put your creative spin on! 

Step 6: Update your Strategy and Track It

You’ve gathered and analyzed data, determined what is working and what is not working, performed a SWOT analysis, and studied the competition. For the final step of the marketing audit checklist, you will use all of this information to update your marketing strategy and work toward improved results moving forward. 

Be sure you have tools in place to measure how the new efforts are performing. Then, build time into your schedule to perform another regular marketing audit to ensure continued success!

Do we need a third party to conduct a marketing audit? 

Marketing audits are best performed by a third party, like Green Apple Strategy, to ensure unbiased results. A third-party audit can also provide objective advice, insights on best practices, and opportunities for improvements. Marketing specialists also have access to technology and tools that can make launching new initiatives seamless.

Analyzing efforts for meaningful insight—and using the findings to make helpful recommendations—is part of our core process at Green Apple Strategy. Contact us today to learn more about how we can optimize your marketing strategies and help your business grow.

Conquer the Daily Grind: 5 Marketing Best Practices for Businesses

We’ve all heard the phrase “big ideas are essential for success.” It’s true. In marketing, a clear vision and compelling strategies are the foundation for achieving your goals. But let’s be honest: the real magic happens in the daily grind of execution. It’s the consistent, focused application of those big ideas that turns dreams into reality.

The challenge lies in finding the perfect balance. You need to dedicate time to the high-level thinking and creative brainstorming that fuels innovation. Yet you also need to be laser-focused on executing the daily tasks that drive results, whether it’s crafting social media posts, managing email campaigns, or analyzing your website performance. It’s a delicate dance, one that requires commitment, flexibility, and a well-oiled system.

At Green Apple Strategy, we’ve spent more than a decade helping small and mid-sized businesses like yours navigate this balancing act. We’ve seen firsthand the struggles of juggling daily tasks with long-term strategic thinking. In this blog, we wanted to share some best practices we’ve developed to help you optimize your daily grind and achieve sustainable marketing success.

Marketing Best Practices to Conquer Your Daily Grind 

1. Tame the Chaos with a Solid Project Management System

Ever feel like you’re constantly putting out fires in your marketing department? You’re not alone. Marketing is inherently fast-paced, and it’s easy to get bogged down in reactive tasks. An effective marketing project management approach can be your saving grace. It eliminates the guesswork around repetitive tasks, automates workflows, and helps you delegate effectively.

Think of it as your central hub for organization. It allows you to clearly define project scope, assign tasks, track progress, and collaborate seamlessly with your team—even if they’re remote. By streamlining processes and keeping everyone on the same page, you can free up valuable mental space to focus on the bigger picture.

2. Ensure Communication and Collaboration

Marketing doesn’t operate in a vacuum. To develop a truly effective marketing strategy, your efforts need to be aligned with your broader business goals. This means fostering open communication and collaboration with various departments.

Schedule regular meetings with your sales team to ensure marketing efforts are directly supporting business development initiatives. Likewise, collaborate with operations to make sure your business can effectively handle the influx of new customers generated through your marketing campaigns. By working together, you can create a cohesive strategy that will drive measurable results for the entire organization.

3. Embrace the Process (Even When the Fire Alarm Goes Off)

We all know those days: the unexpected technical glitch, the sudden shift in marketing priorities, or feedback that throws your carefully planned timeline into disarray. While you can’t completely eliminate chaos, having a process-driven approach can help you navigate these situations with composure and maintain control.

The key is to anticipate potential disruptions. Develop a plan for handling common challenges, whether it’s a communication protocol for managing feedback from stakeholders or a clear decision-making framework for evaluating new project ideas.

4. Make Time for Learning and Innovation

The marketing landscape is constantly evolving. New technologies emerge, consumer habits change, and best practices are redefined. If you get stuck in the daily grind without carving out dedicated time for learning, your marketing efforts can quickly become stagnant and outdated.

Schedule regular time for you and your team to explore new marketing techniques, attend industry webinars, or read the latest marketing blogs. Even a small investment in continuous learning can help you discover your next best marketing tactic and pay significant dividends down the line.

5. Tame “Shiny Object Syndrome” 

New ideas are exciting, but not all of them deserve your immediate attention. It’s easy to get caught up in “shiny object syndrome,” where every new marketing tactic seems like the next big thing. That’s when having a clear process for evaluating new marketing ideas becomes crucial.

Develop a system for prioritizing projects based on their alignment with your overall strategy, resource requirements, and potential return on investment. Don’t be afraid to say no to initiatives that don’t fit the criteria or that will overwhelm your team’s capacity.

Stop Chasing Marketing. Start Leading it.

By implementing these best practices, you can transform your daily marketing grind from a relentless treadmill to a strategic springboard for success. Remember, marketing shouldn’t feel like a force driving you—you should be the one in control.

Ready to take your marketing to the next level?

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Explore our services and learn more about our approach to marketing strategy. We offer a range of solutions to help businesses like yours achieve their marketing goals.

How to Set Achievable Marketing Goals

When we’re creating a marketing strategy for a new client or presenting a new approach to a client on our roster, everyone feels the excitement about launching a new initiative. Successful marketing can really move the needle on brand identity, audience reach, and total profits. Clients who are ready to invest in marketing usually know their brand, are aware of their audience, and want to take their company to the next level.

While it’s tempting to dive straight into planning, it’s wise to take a beat and set marketing goals that are clear, measurable, and realistic. With these three components in place, you can lead your team to success.

Set Realistic Marketing Goals

One of the first things we counsel our clients on is setting expectations for a marketing strategy out of the gate. Like any first expedition into a new territory, an initial marketing strategy is exploratory. It involves assessing an audience, testing out different marketing messages and platforms, and identifying the approaches that work. It can even mean figuring out which metrics to track in order to confirm that the marketing strategy is having an effect. This takes time and patience, but the results are worth the upfront effort. 

Get Clarity and Seek Precision

The good thing about setting vague goals is they are hard to measure. How does anyone prove whether a restaurant does or doesn’t sell the “Best Burger in Town?”

On the other hand, if you can’t measure goals, how do you know if your efforts are truly paying off?

Instead, set marketing goals that can be quantified and measured. Rather than improving the company website, aim to improve website traffic by 10% and conversions by 15%. With numbers added, checking your progress and determining exactly how close you are to meeting your goal becomes much easier. 

When building your marketing strategy, setting deadlines alongside your goals is key. How will you know if you are making progress without a due date? Consider the website example above, which mentions improving web traffic by 10%. As it is written, the goal could be met at any time and still be considered a success!

For true growth, indicate a timeframe. As you get closer to that date, you can check your progress and make adjustments if you aren’t gaining the traction you need in the allotted time. 

Keep Your Budget in Mind

Although it’s essential, marketing is only one part of a company’s budget. Staffing, materials, technology, and overhead are all part of the balance sheet as well. It’s critical to consider what you can achieve with the resources you have, including time, staff, and budget. While marketing goals can be ambitious, they should also be realistic. A small non-profit may be unable to afford a media placement that costs thousands of dollars of media placement. Likewise, a two-person start-up can’t undertake a massive event marketing campaign that requires available staff. Success will look different for every business, so set goals that won’t overtax your budget or your team.

Connect with Leadership

We’ve all had the experience of pitching an idea to someone who was not as enthusiastic about it as we were! Help mitigate that response by connecting with leadership before setting your marketing goals.

Because leadership is responsible for directing the organization’s mission, vision, and values, they are always looking at what should be done. Having a solid understanding of your boss’s point of view can ensure you stay on the right track when setting marketing goals. 

Green Apple: Your Partner in Goal Setting  

Goal setting is a critical step in developing any successful marketing campaign. Green Apple Strategy can help you put the right plan in motion to meet your marketing goals. Our team has experience setting strategic goals, executing tactics, measuring progress, and shifting when needed to ensure the best possible outcome.

We invite you to learn more about how our strategic solutions and services can help your business grow.

How to Request Customer Feedback and Testimonials

woman in apron showing a tablet to a customer

When you run a successful business, your customers have stories and experiences to share about your company. Their feedback can provide valuable ideas for improvement and reassurance about what you’re doing right. But it can be difficult to access this valuable information without taking an intentional approach to collecting it. How can you ask customers for reviews in a way that’s efficient, effective, and provides the feedback you need? 

In our experience, it’s best to do so with a plan, armed with the right questions and tools to gather the data you need. This strategic approach can help your team make the most of customer feedback and that the information you gather does, in fact, help your business grow.
 

Make a Plan 

Before you ask customers for reviews, take some time to develop an intentional plan. The most important piece of this step is determining what you want to gain from gathering customer feedback: 

  • Are you curious about how a particular product is performing? 
  • Do you want to know if customers are happy with the service they are receiving? 
  • Are you ready to take action on a known customer pain point but unsure of where to start? 

Additionally, consider why you want to gather customer feedback. Is your goal to see how you stack up against competitors or to make changes to your product or process?  In other words, decide what action you will take with the data once you have it. Knowing what data you want to gather will impact how you ask customers for reviews.  

Ask the Right Questions 

Once you know what information you want, you can determine how you are going to ask for it. Asking the right questions is key to garnering the data you need for positive growth. 

For example, if you want to know about a specific product, craft open-ended questions that are specifically about that product rather than about the business as a whole. 

“Why did you purchase our nighttime moisturizer?” will get you more precise answers than “Why did you purchase our skincare?” Even “Did you like our skincare?” only yields a “yes” or “no” answer, which closes off the conversation as well as your ability to learn more about the customer’s experience. 

Finally, only ask questions that are absolutely necessary. Once you have a customer’s attention, it’s hard not to try and glean as much information as possible. However, you’re more likely to collect actionable data if you keep questions short and clear. Focus on getting the information you truly need instead of all the data you could ever possibly desire. After all, you can and should survey customers multiple times to get a broader sense of their overall experience with your business.
   

Choose the Best Tools

There are many cost-effective tools you can use to effectively ask customers to share their reviews. The ones that are best for your business will depend on your resources, both human and capital, as well as the demographics of the customers you want to reach. 

Email

Sending a follow-up email after a purchase or service is an effective way to engage customers. When soliciting feedback via email, use a strong, enticing subject line and consider offering an incentive for participating. Pay attention to your email signature, too. Sending it from a team member instead of “Customer Service” will yield better results and provide a personal touch. 

Social Media 

Sharing polls on social media is an effective, efficient, and even fun way to get your customers involved in sharing feedback. The polls that perform best are short, sweet and to the point. 

SMS

With higher open rates than email, SMS messaging is one of the most powerful ways to request customer feedback. Many people are never more than a few feet from their phone, meaning they will see your text in real time and may reply just as quickly. Several of our clients use survey platforms such as Loyalty Loop or Delighted to capture customer feedback after a service call or other customer interaction. These platforms also offer the opportunity to track customer satisfaction over time through a Net Promotor Score data point.

Feedback Buttons and Forms  

Customers may want to leave reviews on their own terms. To facilitate this, you can add feedback options to your website or blog. On a website, an easily accessible feedback form allows testimonials to be shared at any time. Similarly, placing a “Was this helpful?” button at the bottom of a blog post can tell you if your content is relevant to your audience. 

More Pro Tips

Your customers are your most valuable asset; without them, you don’t have a business. With this in mind, be sure to thank them for their feedback. And don’t be overly concerned about negative reviews. Addressing these in a polite and professional manner will demonstrate to other customers that you’re willing to engage when something goes wrong. Simple, effective communication can go a long way in turning an unhappy customer into one that gives you rave reviews. 

Get Actionable Customer Feedback That Works

Green Apple Strategy uses responsive, well-designed tools to help our clients gather and analyze essential data points. If you need more insight into your customer experience, our team can provide you with the right data to make key decisions. Reach out to us today to see how we can help you gather customer feedback in a way that positively impacts your business. 

5 Ways to Maximize Your Q1 Marketing Analytics

The first quarter of the new year has passed. You’re gathering data from your marketing campaigns so you can use it to inform your next move. With so much data readily at your fingertips—from sales to social media interactions—it can be difficult to determine which data to focus on and how to use it to improve your marketing ROI.

 

Marketing analytics can help you assess the performance of your marketing campaigns, identify areas of improvement, and drive conversions. Now is the perfect time to assess your Q1 data and reports to reset or adjust your marketing goals for a successful 2023.

 

Different Types of Data

There are different types of marketing analytics insights that can be used depending on what type of information you want to gather. You could review data related to digital marketing efforts, content marketing, social media ads and interactions, customer preferences and feedback, and even competitor data. Each data source offers its own unique insight into the successes and challenges of your marketing campaigns. While data is immensely helpful to glean what worked and what didn’t, it can also help you identify ways to improve moving forward.

 

1. Know Your Sales Numbers

The first step in gathering any marketing analytics insights is to review conversions. Depending on your business, this could be leads generated or actual sales made. If these numbers are on track to meet your goals, it’s a sure sign that your marketing strategies are working. But if these numbers fall short, you can take a deep dive into your campaigns to find out what isn’t working and take the necessary steps to make a change.

 

2. Alleviate Customer Pain Points

Data from customer interactions such as sales calls, support chats, social media interactions, and onboarding calls can offer insight into your customers’ opinions about your product or service. Gathering this information can help you find out what your customers need to know in order to fully appreciate what you have to offer. For example, if they are upset over or do not fully understand a product’s complex features, you could create an informational campaign highlighting the area in question—and alleviating an otherwise frustrating experience in the process.

 

3. Beat the Competition

Digital marketing efforts make it easy to see what competitors are doing and the impact it has on customers. Take a look at your competition’s product reviews and social media pages. Make note of common themes among commenters. What do they like? What are their complaints? What type of content is getting the most interaction? Use your findings to fine-tune your own plans and stay ahead of the curve.

 

4. Determine Customer Preferences 

Knowing your customers’ pain points and assessing the competition also helps you understand what potential customers prefer. This can make it possible for you to deliver the right message to the right audience at the right time. Say your product has a feature that a competitor’s product does not. You know this is a feature that can meet an unmet need for your target audience. You can use this information to craft digital marketing efforts that position your product as a much-needed solution.

 

5. Optimize Your Website

When it comes to websites, customers like an easy, user-friendly search, shopping, and checkout process. But is your website set up to optimize customer experience, or are potential buyers getting lost along the way? Knowing how your customers navigate your website can provide insight into why they may not be taking the actions you want them to take. By determining which pages users are viewing and what links they’re clicking, you can design, update, and optimize your site to keep your prospects on the right track.

 

If you’d like help maximizing your marketing efforts, contact our team today. We’d love to help develop a customized, strategic approach for your business that gets you the results you want.

Marketing & Operations: 4 Keys to Successful Scalability

People sitting around a conference table with laptops

One of today’s business realities is that everything is marketing. Gone are the days when marketing and sales worked in their own silo. The effectiveness of your marketing department impacts other departments. At the same time, other departments have a direct impact on areas of marketing such as brand perception or customer experience.  

Over the years at Green Apple, we’ve found the connection between marketing and operations is one of the most important relationships in a business. On one hand, successful marketing should lead to more customers. More customers will naturally impact operational needs. On the other hand, many operations teams make decisions that directly impact marketing needs. Whether you’re the CEO of a company or a leader of a specific department, it’s essential to ensure both teams work together so that your company can thrive.

4 Keys to Successful Scalability with Marketing & Operations 

Here are a few specific ways marketing and operations can collaborate. That way, marketing is focused on the right areas of growth, and operations have what they need to scale the business:

1. Define your ideal customer. 

Operations are responsible for ensuring your company can fulfill the business it generates. Unfortunately, most marketing departments are only focused on generating leads… not how you’re going to serve them through the sales pipeline.  

When marketing and operations align, marketing understands the company’s capabilities and what it takes to follow through on what’s promised. This can help significantly when it comes to defining your ideal customer for better lead generation results. 

2. Align your technology and tools to optimize your processes. 

Most businesses function on an array of various technology platforms and software tools. In some cases, there might be more than a dozen platforms that support your marketing, sales, and operational efforts. While it’s not essential for there to be a seamless integration between all of your tools, it’s important to make sure the core components of your marketing technology stack are aligned with operational tools. 

When marketing and operations align in their technology strategy, they can run the race faster and farther for successful, scalable marketing.

3. Leverage data from both teams to make more informed decisions.

We have access to more data than ever before. Every marketing campaign provides dozens of analytics that can be measured. At the same time, the operations team has insights that can inform customer needs and marketing investment. But we all know there’s a difference between reporting on analytics and creating a data-driven culture for growing your businesses.

How can marketing and operations make sure they are collecting data in ways that can be used by everyone? Both teams need to agree on key business objectives and define which metrics are most helpful in evaluating success. 

4. Create open lines of communication between both teams

Effective communication breeds collaboration. That’s why consistent and candid conversations between the marketing and operations teams are vital. It’s not enough for marketing and operations to simply meet once a year or only collaborate if there’s a PR crisis. 

Instead, there needs to be a consistent feedback loop between marketing and operations. Operations can provide marketers with insight into what customers value. Marketing can inform operations about what’s being said about your business online. 

Need Help Getting Marketing & Operations on the Same Page?

If there’s one thing we’ve learned over the past decade, it’s that you can’t create your marketing plan in a vacuum. As we work alongside clients to develop a marketing strategy, we’ve found that having operations in the room for important marketing discussions is key to building a plan that supports your entire business. 

A rising tide should lift all boats without causing one to capsize. If you’re struggling to get marketing and operations on the same page, our team can help. Schedule a discovery call to learn more about the specific ways our team can help you design a marketing strategy that supports every area of your business.