5 Marketing Initiatives for the New Year

The beginning of the year is the perfect time to start a new project. While you may have great ideas for a new fiction or non-fiction work - and that’s great. you should definitely work on them - you may want to take the time to amp up your marketing.

Visibility is so important in this day and age. You need to make yourself known online, so potential readers and clients can find you. There’s plenty you can do from the simple to more intricate efforts. Here are some ideas.

1. Update Your LinkedIn Profile. LinkedIn is the business social network, so it’s a great platform to showcase your work and make connections. As with your bio and resume, take a look at your LInkedIn profile at least once a year … tho ideally once a quarter. Make sure all of your experience is up to date. You can also refresh your profile by uploading new links and media. When you are looking to meet new people, put your best foot forward, so people who want to connect get a better idea of your experience and accomplishments.

2. Try a New Social Network. When you get started with social media, it’s helpful to have a presence on the main platforms - Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram - but master one at a time. Once you’re comfortable on one social network, take the time to increase your activity on another. Start small. Do research to learn more about your beta network. Then, jump on in.

3. Host a Contest. Want to drive more people to your business? Create a contest. You can do a raffle or accept submissions for a more intricate contest. For instance, I ran a query contest on my website for many years. I currently I raffle off a book each month; everyone who posts goals on my Facebook page or in my group is entered to win. See what fits your brand or business and come up with something good.

4. Amp Up Your Blog. A blog is a wonderful way to share your expertise and set yourself apart from everyone else in your field. Consistency and continuity are the most important. But if you have hit your comfort level, amp up your blog. This could mean posting more content (if you post one day a week, try two), longer (or shorter) content, or different content (add interviews, trivia, news). Play with the different types and see where it takes you.

5. Test Something New. What is the one thing you have been meaning to try but can’t seem to going? Want to start a podcast? Do video updates? Launch a Twitter chat? What’s stopping you? Nothing. Take a leap. You never know what the results will be unless you try. Note: I recently launch the #GoalChat Twitter Chat on Sunday nights. This is something I’ve been noodling for years, and am very excited about the possibilities.

Regardless of your strategy, you need to allow for ample time for marketing each week. Add something new to the mix. If it doesn’t work, you can move on. If it does, you never know where it may propel you, your writing, and your business. Good luck and have fun!

What new marketing initiate will you try this year? Please share what you are working on in the comments. 

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Debra Eckerling is a writer, editor and project catalyst, as well as founder of Write On Online, a live and online writers’ support group. Like the Write On Online Facebook Page and join the Facebook Group.  She is author of Write On Blogging: 51 Tips to Create, Write & Promote Your Blog and Purple Pencil Adventures: Writing Prompts for Kids of All Ages, and host of the Guided Goals Podcast and the #GoalChat Twitter Chat. Debra is an editor at Social Media Examiner and a speaker/moderator on the subjects of writing, networking, goal-setting, and social media.