Do You Work In Marketing or Web Stuff? Here Are Your Resolutions for 2023

10 New Year’s Resolutions for Marketers and Web People

OK, I admit it. I hate New Year’s Resolutions. In my life I think I have only ever kept one – Cook More. That was only because I became addicted to recipe boxes. If you’re interested, it’s Gousto. I am pescatarian and it’s by far the best for us (and yes that is an affiliate link, I am a marketer after all).

This year’s should possibly be “no dogs on the office furniture”, but clearly no one told Scratch, who has a perfectly comfy bed right next to the armchair he is currently perched on.

Professionally though, resolutions can be a lot easier and less depressing. Here are ten things we’d recommend you try and stick to in 2023.

1. Be more social. I don’t mean Social Media. There plenty of other agencies who will tell you to post more. Don’t get too isolated at your home desk or limit yourself to chats with your own small team. Make friends who do what you do.  Even if they are your competitors. Go for cake with them.  We had an ACTUAL Christmas lunch for our team this year, humans – in the same room together! It was amongst the most fun I had all year. Even if I did catch flu at it.
2. Be open to new ideas. The world we live and work in changes by the hour, yet we all get stuck in our ways. Everyone has their own process for designing an ad, setting up conversion tracking or managing an ad account and it might be great, but that doesn’t mean it will work forever.  We had major, quite scary, shake-ups to the way we worked as a team last summer. Some of them had been put off for years.  All those changes have had brilliant results. No matter how much of a pain they are, there will always be more changes to come.
3. Use Alt Text. It’s easy. When you put a picture on your website, or Twitter, or anywhere else that has the option, add a short description of what it is. It’s great for accessibility and it helps SEO. Plus you won’t be wondering what “IMG457” actually was of in a couple of years’ time either.
4. Look backwards. As an agency we spend far too much time reporting, but we come across plenty of new clients who never look back.  If you don’t know how your campaigns went, how can you do them better next year? Which channels brought in the most revenue to your site last October-December? Where did you spend the most money and did it work for you?  Have a look NOW… and then make a note for next year.
5. Use good tools. Have you been using the same SEO and Social tools for years? Are you stuck with them?  This year we made a big change to the software we were using for SEO. Not only has it saved us money, and supported people we’d rather be working with, it has made us think about SEO in new ways. This year I think we’ll probably change our reporting software. It’s not easy but it’s worth it. And budget to pay for them. Free stuff mostly sucks.
6. Get your head around GA4. The Google Analytics we know and love is going.  GA4 is the only option from July and it is NOT THAT BAD. Once you know how to use it, sometimes it’s better. Rumour has it that even Shopify will work with GA4 from March onwards.  Learn it now. (And just watch them delay the “sunsetting” as soon as I publish this blog… we can but hope).
7. Take time to breathe. One of our clients told me this week that her New Year’s Resolution for the last few years has been not to work on Fridays.  One working day off a week would be lovely. To be fair, one complete day off at all each week would be lovely.  Try to turn your work life off completely, perhaps try Sundays to start with. I will too…. and maybe after 10pm each night too.
8. Keep learning. GA4 isn’t the only thing you need to pick up. Do you need to learn a new website CMS? Add some coding to your skills? Figure out how to actually do that thing on Photoshop? Keep a little note somewhere of what you have learned and when, fill out your CIM CPD if you’re that way inclined but keep the brain turned on and new stuff pouring in. It doesn’t even have to be related to the day job. If anyone wants to learn how to freedive just ask…
9. Give back. In the past year, I’ve joined my local Coastguard Rescue Team. I could go on and on about how “good” this is of me. I love it when the officer at Falmouth says “Thank you for your service” as we go home from a shout, but really it is entirely selfish.  I have learned a lot of fun things, like how to help a helicopter land, drive pretty fast with blue lights on and stick an airway down someone’s throat (less fun to be fair). I have met some amazing and inspiring people. I have been given some super cool clothing…. But I also feel good, good, good about myself every time we do something to make someone’s worst day a little less terrible for them.  You could volunteer your time in much easier ways. A friend loves her stint in charity shop, and not just for the good finds. You could raise money for charity. You could use your marketing skills to help someone who needs to raise their profile and can’t really afford you.  It will make you feel good.
10. Get a dog. Even if he does sit on your armchair when he’s wet and stinky. He will get you outside far more than you ever imagined. It’s currently blowing a hooley and tipping it down and we’re off for a walk.

If you need help with any of your Resolutions, or anything else Marketing or web-related, get in touch. If you visit us, I promise you the armchair won’t be too hairy.