You’re a pretty good marketer, right? You keep your website updated and your Facebook page rockin’. You have a calendar for regular email communication and you even run some pay-per-click ads to reach new audiences.

But with the ever-changing world of marketing and technology, we marketers don’t get to stay with “pretty good”. The minute it feels like we’ve mastered one thing, something new enters the scene. It can feel overwhelming to keep up with it all, which makes it tempting to stick to the basics you know you can do well.

The good news is that once you have laid a foundation of marketing assets and best practices, taking your marketing to the next level does not have to be a major undertaking. Sometimes, small tweaks to your current efforts are all it takes to make a big impact. Here are some of our favorite marketing hacks to help you go from “meh” to “wow”.

If you’re doing email marketing…

Two words: segmentation and automation. Sending out quality, planned communications on a regular basis is certainly something to be proud of. But if you’re sending out the same content to everyone on your list, you might be missing opportunities to really connect with audiences. With a good CRM and automation software, you can get as sophisticated or simple as you want in terms of building customer profiles, custom lists and automated communications. But one thing is for certain: automation is quickly turning from an accessory to a necessity, so now is the time to start finding good software and learning how to make it work for you.

If you’re running pay-per-click ads…

Try retargeting. We’ve all seen the creepy ads that keep appearing on every website after we’ve viewed a product or service. Well, these aren’t the result of voodoo magic, and you too can be so creepy! Retargeting is easy to add to your Google campaign through a basic line of code. And while it can feel invasive sometimes, it is effective. How often do you buy the first time you visit a site, especially if you are just beginning to do research about what’s available in the market? It’s critical to stay top of mind after someone has left your site and provide friendly reminders of their interest in you. If you're new to PPC, here is a guide for first timers to setup a PPC campaign in Google Adwords.

If you’re on Facebook…

Explore other platforms. Most of us currently in marketing careers grew up with Facebook, either having it always there as part of our adult lives or recognizing it as a growing trend and learning to adopt it later in life. But for the up-and-coming generation, Facebook is already old news. Younger Millennials prefer social networks such as Instagram and Snapchat, and with the introduction of streaming apps such as Periscope, all we know is that social media is here to change.

Don’t wait to get your brand on the preferred platforms of a younger generation. This audience is quickly growing in purchasing power, and you want to build a presence before its too late. Besides, once you have a basic social strategy in place, it’s much easier to adapt content for other platforms than to start from scratch.

If you’re blogging…

Add premium content to the mix. Premium content is typically resource-based and a bit more substantial than a blog post. Think video resources, white papers, articles, worksheets and downloads. If someone likes what you have to say in your blog, chances are they’re going to want to hear more from you – and if they’re just checking you out, they’re going to be much more likely to download content than to contact you or make a purchase.

Create a few solid pieces of premium content (it doesn’t have to be a lot; even four to five pieces can be enough to get you started). Promote relevant premium pieces at the bottom of each blog post with a designed call-to-action (you can see one at the bottom of this post!) and link the call-to-action to a landing page where you require an email to download the content. And if you’re really feeling fancy, you can even create an automated email workflow designed to introduce your organization and provide more related resources before putting the new reader in your regular communications stream.

You’ll be amazed at how many more leads you generate with premium content than with just a blog. Your content marketing strategy should be like a choose-your-own-adventure book: each piece of content someone reads should lead him or her to another.

If you’re mobile…

Hopefully by now you know that a mobile website isn’t optional, but have you looked at other ways you can mobilize your marketing? One of our favorite mobile marketing tools is text messaging. It pairs nicely with an email marketing strategy and allows you to reach people wherever they are. We’ve seen increased traffic to our clients’ websites and increased donations after they send out a text to their supporter base – even when the text doesn’t include a link to give.

Keeping up with marketing trends can sometimes be as easy as making a few simple tweaks. Not only does it help make your marketing better today, but it prepares you for tomorrow, ensuring you don’t fall behind and are always on the cutting edge.

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