Happy New Year! I took some time away from this blog to revamp, while I still want to continue to speak on entrepreneurship from a mental wellness standpoint, I also want to make sure I am providing some great business tips and more with you all, but really diving into my knowledge base, as well as that of other ceo’s and sharing, so stay tuned.
- Clean out your inbox.
This is self-explanatory, but as a media company we receive tons of emails. 45% of them do not pertain to our industry or mission. No need to keep them around.
- Unsubscribe from pesky newsletters or change your preferences.
These are often times some of the 45% and it’s not us who subscribed but rather people who have found us, so this really helps us to better see the emails that matter.
- Clean up your computer and organize your documents and photos.
It just makes navigating and staying on track so much easier, but it is a lot easier to write this than it is to do it. I know…
- Make certain your business address and contact info is correct and consistent on all business accounts.
For one it makes sense, but for two, I’ve read that those inconsistencies can hurt your chances when applying for business credit.
- Be certain the unsubscribers from your own newsletters are removed because you may still be charged for them.Â
I can’t speak for all newsletter providers, but we use Mailchimp, and as you know, after you have reached a certain number of subscribers, you are no longer eligible for the free plan. The more subscribers you have the more you pay, and while that may look nice numbers wise, it’s hurting your pockets and you are not reaching those customers that way. Furthermore it also hurts your open rate. Just go on cut them.
- Clean out your phone!Â
It just makes life easier.
- Update your website.
Make certain your site doesn’t still have outdated promotions and such on the front, but also check the backend. The different plugins you have on the back end that perform certain tasks may need updating as well. They actually need updating several times within a year, but if you are one who only tinkers on their site occasionally, you definitely need to go through and update those plugins now. Not doing so leaves your site vulnerable to other digital threats.
- Clean and organize your desk and work area.
Again it just makes life easier, but clutter also kills productivity and creativity. - Refresh your brand.
For the most part, we do all of our branding and marketing materials in house, so I create several templates in order to increase productivity, but it’s important to change your look up a little from time to time. What you have been doing may be working but something new may work even better or be more engaging for your target audience. If you hadn’t tried it yet, Canva 2.0 has some really cool new updates; like media kit templates and you can now insert videos into picture designs (there are other stipulations to it).
- Review your marketing and advertising plans.
Are you receiving a return on your investments? You may be spending hundreds or thousands of dollars with systems and companies that are not yielding results, and you may not realize this if you have no way to actually measure or quantify those results. Having a desired outcome in mind like sales goals or growth goals helps you clearly see if these expenses are beneficial or not.
As a person who loves to start with a clean slate, I see the new year as another opportunity to start my business anew or reset the pace of things.
You don’t have to do these things simply because it’s the new year either. You may want to try them at the beginning of the month, or a new or quarter, or even just at the beginning of the week, but definitely take some time to get them done.
If you have any other suggestions, I would love to hear them. Comment below or tweet me. Also while I have several CEO’s I’m planning to chat with in the very near future, I would also love some suggestions. Drop them below. Â
