Written by the The Melotti Media Team, checked by Christopher Melotti
Welcome to the new year!
Exciting, exciting. Nothing’s more invigorating than a fresh start, right?!
But if there’s one thing we know about businesses at this time of year, it’s that January tends to be a slow, uncertain period.
That’s because:
- not everyone is back from the holidays yet
- some are still working on leftover tasks from the previous year
- your customers are still waking up from the Christmas holidays
So, does that mean you should sit back and wait?
Absolutely not! Leave that to your competitors to be slow…
It’s time to get your January marketing plan underway!
While you’re waiting for things to warm up, you have the opportunity to set the pace for this year. This comes from being proactive with your January marketing.
How do I set my business up for success this year?
Simple: focus on strengthening your content marketing plan this year.
And if you’re not quite sure where to start, here’s a complete January content marketing guide. Let’s give your business a fresh start this year!
Should you do content marketing in January?
Yes, and here’s why.
The New Year is a great time for New Year’s resolutions and new beginnings, not just for your business, but for customers as well.
The New Year is when people plan ahead and look for products and services that will support their goals for the future.
So, what does that mean for your business?
It means that you have that once-in-a-year opportunity to leverage the holiday spirit (when customers are more likely to respond positively to brands) and become the fresh start that your potential customers are looking for.
With January content that’s strategically tailored to align with their aspirations, your brand will be a guiding light.
Capturing the attention of your audience while they’re motivated in January gives you a strong foundation for brand engagement for the year.
That’s why now is the best time to launch your January content marketing.
How can you create content this January?
Now that we’ve established just how crucial January content is for your content marketing calendar, let’s talk about actionable plans.
Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to make sure that your January content marketing will resonate with your audiences and start the year off strong.
1. Reflect on your past marketing strategies.
To move forward, you must first look back.
Take a deep dive into the successes and failures of your previous content initiatives.
Analyse the impact, engagement metrics and results from all of your previous content types and distribution channels. For example, if your articles earned substantial traffic, but your video content lacked engagement, consider re-evaluating your video strategy or repurposing successful blog topics into engaging video scripts.
2. Based on that analysis, set new clear goals.
Think of this as a version of a New Year’s Resolution: define specific and measurable objectives for your yearly content strategy in line with broader business goals.
Determine whether your focus is on:
- increasing brand awareness,
- driving lead generation or
- fostering audience engagement.
The more specific your marketing goals are, the clearer your strategy would be.
3. Then, research what your audiences would love to see this year.
Understanding your audience’s preferences and pain points is pivotal for crafting January content that resonates. There are several ways to do this, you can:
- conduct surveys,
- analyse social media engagement and
- delve into analytics to discern what content formats and topics work.
If you’re looking for January content ideas, keep scrolling. We have some ideas that your target audiences will love.
4. Execute your marketing strategy across all relevant platforms.
Once your ideas are in place, it’s time to implement your content strategy across all relevant platforms.
Tip: be everywhere to maximise brand visibility.
Tailor content to suit the nuances of each platform while ensuring a consistent brand voice and message. This way, you can deliver the same message in ways that match the needs of the users of each platform.
5. Lastly, monitor your progress and adjust your marketing strategy as necessary.
Regularly monitor key performance indicators (KPIs) such as engagement rates, click-through rates and conversions.
But do not stop at recording results! Use these January marketing insights to iterate and optimise your strategy continually. With the data on conversions and engagement, you can fine-tune your future content marketing approach.
Need some January content marketing ideas?
We’ve compiled some content marketing ideas that audiences will LOVE in January – so feel free to use them for your January content marketing plan.
7 January Marketing ideas to start the year successfully
1. Refresh and Repurpose past content
Let’s start simply with a January content refresh. Just because it’s a new year doesn’t mean you can’t repurpose your older content.
If you have blogs, articles, videos and other branded collateral that:
- performed well in the past and
- are still relevant,
then don’t be afraid to update them depending on the changes this year. This is why it pays to have evergreen content – you can keep repurposing content over and over.
2. “New Year, New (insert your idea here)”
Add your own twist to this saying!
This is a great idea for a January seasonal campaign because you can launch new promotions and deals that are perfect to start the year off for your customers.
Be as creative as you can be. The goal is to fit into your target customers’ New Year’s Resolutions to spark that connection.
3. Yearly Industry Prediction Content
Because you know your industry so well, you can showcase your thought leadership and expertise in your start-of-the-year content marketing strategy.
While your customers are not as busy as usual, warm them up in January with some insightful industry predictions that will:
- help them picture what the market will look like in your niche for this year and
- encourage them to invest in your solutions by highlighting how useful they will be to them this year.
4. FAQ Content
You can also take this January time to answer questions and handle objections as early as possible.
Customers looking for a fresh start are likely to do extensive research before making a decision – so make sure you have the answers to their questions this year.
Compile customer questions and create detailed, SEO-optimised blog posts, videos or infographics answering each question in-depth.
5. Downloadable Resources
January is an ideal time to share valuable resources with your customers. Using your templates, eBooks and other resources as lead magnets can significantly boost your lead generation efforts.
This content serves as a valuable incentive for your audience, enticing them to interact and engage with your brand in January.
By offering these resources, you not only attract potential leads but also showcase your expertise and the value you bring to your audience. Each resource becomes a gateway to demonstrate your knowledge, skills and the solutions you offer.
This establishes trust and positions your brand as a go-to source within your industry.
6. Interactive Content
Crafting customer-centric content in January fosters a sense of involvement and belonging among your audience.
Surveys and Q&A sessions are fantastic tools to achieve this. Surveys invite your audience to share their opinions, preferences and feedback, making them feel valued and heard – and this is always a great way to start the year.
Whether live or pre-planned, interactive content offers a direct line of communication, allowing customers to pose questions and receive personalised responses from you.
7. Customer-Led Challenges
Engaging customers through challenges cultivates a sense of camaraderie and community involvement.
Our last content idea for January is also an immersive one: challenges.
You can do either of the following: joining existing challenges to showcase your brand’s personality and values or creating your own challenge to invite customer participation.
Showcasing your brand’s genuine participation or initiating a challenge that resonates with your audience’s interests can spark enthusiasm and strengthen the bond between your brand and community as you start the year.
The beginning of the year offers a unique opportunity to realign and propel your content marketing endeavours.
A proactive and well-thought-out January marketing strategy not only engages your audience but also sets the stage for sustained growth and brand affinity throughout the year.
You can leverage the momentum of your January content marketing to fortify your brand’s overall marketing plan. So, implement these insights and ideas to create impactful, audience-centric content that resonates with your customers.
Get a fresh start on content marketing this January
Proactivity in marketing is key.
The longer you delay, the more opportunities pass by. So, use the slow period in January to plan, strategise and execute bolder content marketing projects that will start the year off strong for your company.
The best time to is NOW.
Because if not now, when?
How can Melotti Media help you with content marketing this January?
At Melotti Media, we understand that you want to get cut through in a competitive Australian market and start the year off strong.
However, you may find that you’re time-poor and spread thin or you still have a lot of unanswered questions.
You don’t need to worry.
If you’re looking for professional help with your content marketing in January, Melotti Media can assist you in planning your content ahead of time while you focus on what matters most to you – growing your business.
Let’s start getting the results your business deserves!
To speak to your trusted Australian Message Marketers and Sydney content marketers, email us at enquire@melottimedia.com.au or phone 1800 663 342.
The Melotti Media Team
Melotti Media | Copywriting & Message Marketing Bureau
www.melottimedia.com.au
