To-do list: Two recommendations for 2017 that should top your list

Marketing trend lists for the New Year are already making their debut — think big data, personalization, better video, more social. But what if you’re still working on your 2016 list — think mobile experience, social presence, video, content and data analytics?

Don’t feel bad, because you’re not alone. An evaluation of our own client landscape reveals that virtually every client is at a different stage of marketing accomplishment. For example, one day we may be guiding a company through its first Facebook marketing strategy and the next day we’re designing an integrated lead generation strategy. Budget considerations, shifting priorities and many other factors make the marketing journey a long one, and we’re happy to lend guidance no matter how far down the path you’ve come.

So as you prepare to head into the New Year, here’s a to-do list that will help ensure you have the building blocks in place to accelerate your marketing in 2017:

• Fully responsive mobile website. It’s time. And we don’t think a mobile “compatible” website is good enough (a mobile plug-in that converts your desktop version). If that sounds familiar, please schedule your new website. The mobile train has left the station.
• Up-to-date client and prospect email list. To use the latest engagement techniques, you must be able to email clients and prospects. Please remember that you can’t send email to a purchased list, so it’s imperative that you have your proprietary lists in place. This is the biggest holdup we see.

That’s it. That’s our most-brief advice to prepare you for marketing success in 2017. And you can click the articles below to find out what these two essential building blocks will prepare you for.

Forbes Top 10 Trends Driving Marketing in 2017
Content Marketing Institute The Biggest Content Marketing Trends in 2017
Forbes 7 Social Media Marketing Trends That Will Dominate 2017
Business 2 Community 4 Content Marketing Trends for Business Owners in 2017