When was the last time you reviewed your marketing and actually had a bit of fun doing it?
I know, reviewing marketing doesn't immediately sound like the most exciting thing on your to-do list. We tend to think about numbers, reports, what worked, what didn't and whether we've achieved everything we planned.
But one of the things I love about marketing reviews is that they can get our creative brains moving again.
Suddenly we're rediscovering ideas, finding content we'd forgotten about and spotting opportunities to do something different with the marketing we've already created.
And that is where reviewing your marketing gets interesting.
Look Beyond the Numbers
When I run marketing planning workshops, one of the things I encourage people to do is review their marketing regularly.
It doesn't need to be complicated. In my Marketing Planner, I've included monthly reviews because taking a little time to look back can help you decide what to do next.
Ask yourself:
- What worked?
- What did I enjoy creating?
- What did I learn?
- What would I like to try next?
Of course, we want to look at the numbers, but we also need to ask which marketing brought the right people to us and what we'd happily do again.
Stop Chasing Every New Marketing Trend
You know how it goes. Something new pops up, everyone starts talking about it, and suddenly there's another marketing activity we apparently need to add to the list.
Before jumping in, ask whether that opportunity actually suits your business and the people you're trying to reach.
This is something I explore through the Marketing Tree Method. Your marketing works best when its different parts support your business rather than growing in every possible direction because someone said you should.
A review gives you a chance to look at what's working for you before adding something else.
Rediscover the Ideas You've Already Created
One of my favourite things about reviewing marketing is finding ideas we've forgotten about.
Maybe it's a blog post that people really connected with, a campaign that worked beautifully, a conversation that sparked an idea or something you started creating and then put aside.
You know that drawer where all the half-finished ideas go? It might be time to open it.
When you revisit your content, you can start asking what else you could do with it.
Could that blog become a video? Could that campaign have another angle? Could a question your audience keeps asking become a new series?
I've talked about this in Create Anchor Content Your Future Self Will Love. Good content can give you plenty more to work with when you come back to it.
Give Yourself Permission to Experiment
A marketing review isn't a pass-or-fail exercise.
Something might not have worked the first time, but that doesn't automatically mean the idea was terrible. Perhaps the timing wasn't right, the message needed a different angle or you could try sharing it in another format.
Reviewing gives you room to play with those possibilities.
You can revisit themes, test different approaches and build on the things your audience has already shown an interest in.
And sometimes that one little idea leads to another, and suddenly next month's content plan isn't looking quite so empty.
Bring the Fun Back Into Marketing
We spend so much time thinking about what we need to create next that we sometimes forget to look at everything we've already done.
Reviewing helps us see patterns in what our audience responds to, the questions people keep asking and the content we genuinely enjoy making.
The numbers matter, absolutely. But so do the creativity, conversations, ideas and enjoyment that make marketing something we actually want to do.
So before you start planning another month of marketing, spend a little time looking backwards.
You might be surprised by how many good ideas are already sitting there waiting for another go.
Resources
How to Get More from Your Content
If your marketing review has reminded you of all the useful content you've already created, this course will help you put more of it to work. We'll explore content optimisation, repurposing and ways to reach new audiences using the ideas you already have.
If you've been reviewing your marketing and aren't sure which ideas to revisit, what to keep doing or where to take things next, we can work through your marketing together and find some practical opportunities to explore.
Highlights
- 00:00 How Reviewing Your Marketing Can Spark Creativity
- 00:50 Why Regular Marketing Reviews Matter
- 01:10 Four Questions to Ask During Your Review
- 01:30 Look Beyond the Numbers
- 01:45 Stop Chasing Every Marketing Trend
- 02:05 Rediscover Creative Opportunities
- 02:35 Find New Uses for Existing Content
- 03:05 Revisit Forgotten Ideas and Campaigns
- 03:40 Give Yourself Permission to Experiment
- 04:05 Build Momentum from One Good Idea
- 04:35 Bring the Fun Back Into Marketing
