As the color palette changes outside, as the mornings get brisk and the nights draw in earlier, we begin to feel her presence in the air — Mother Nature’s wise and graceful daughter is on her way.
Autumn nudges us to button up our cardigans and relish the cozy bookworms’ season. She comes bearing gifts: ripe plums and pears, Halloween fun, and buckets of inspiration. She paints our reality with warm, alluring shades of nostalgia and melancholy to spark our urge to reflect, look within, and reevaluate a thing or two.
As long as autumn lasts, I shall not have hands, canvas and colors enough to paint the beautiful things I see.
— Vincent Van Gogh
Moreover, Autumn is nature’s reminder that every once in a while, we need change and rejuvenation. So let’s use this opportunity to turn over a new leaf and take a fresh look at our professional endeavors.
In true back-to-school fashion, grab your notebook and pen (remember how new stationery used to get us excited for September?), and take note — here are five pieces of business advice that Autumn whispered in the wind for marketers near and far.
1. Spring-Cleaning in Autumn
As poet Terri Guillemets said, “Autumn is springtime in reverse.” But more importantly, any opportunity to shake things up to get a few apples in return is a worthwhile ROI, wouldn’t you agree? So let’s start by decluttering our online business.
We suggest starting small with something like the tabs on your website: are they all essential to your visitor’s journey? Could you combine a few of them to tidy up the look and feel of your page or make it easier for people to find information? So often less really is more.
Another area for improvement could be your social media strategy. Firstly, don’t feel pressured to be active on all social platforms. Some of them will most likely devour too much of your time and energy for little to no results. The best practice is to follow your audience and see where they like to hang out. Focus on channels where your message has a chance to be heard by your core audience.
Also, unfollow accounts on social media that have stopped adding value to your feed. Maybe you met someone at a conference eons ago and the opportunity to collaborate is now long gone. Or, maybe you changed the direction of your business and the accounts linked to that former incarnation only keep you stuck in the past. Whatever the reason, unfollow, unfollow, then unfollow some more.
Stay connected to what matters most to you here and now.
Evolve — ditch the clutter that causes unnecessary chaos (let’s embrace the freedom of expression in art rather than in business). There’s so much order in nature, yet the predictability of each season does not take away from its beauty and originality. Au contraire, if your audience knows what to expect from you, if your actions present a coherent and unified front, they will stay with you longer.
2. A Breath of Crisp, Fresh Air on the Blog
The only thing constant in life is change. So we might as well embrace it for the benefit of our businesses. Let’s begin with rejuvenating our content hubs, shall we?
First, if you don’t have a blog, we think you are missing out on reaching a big part of the market. Statistics show that blogs have the potential to attract about 55% more visitors to your website. We think you’ll agree that this is a significant increase and if you have a blog, chances are you’ve already noticed the difference.
During this season of glorious transformation, we encourage you to add fresh content on your blog and keep your portfolio aligned with what’s going on around you. Here’s an example from LitHub: one of their most recent blog posts is 22 Novels You Need to Read This Fall — that’s informative, relevant, and in step with the new season.
Psst, if you’re in need of resources and new content ideas, check out the monthly calendars we post on our Instagram.
Additionally, there are various other practices you might incorporate into marking a new chapter in the business year. You might redesign the layout of your content hub, switch to a new platform if the old one gives you too much headache, or bring in guests to add new voices to your blog. It will liven up your corner of the Internet and give more reasons for folks to visit your website.
3. Revitalizing Your NEWsletter
Novelty is Autumn’s middle name. Why not make it the middle name of your newsletter, too? If you’re still hesitant about having an email bulletin, let us convince you with some more stats. For instance, 59% of consumers say emails influence their purchases, and 50% buy from marketing emails at least once a month. Also, according to Copyblogger, this kind of e-correspondence is 40x more effective than social media.
In the spirit of Autumn, we encourage you to try these tips for renewing your email strategy:
- Change the colors of your newsletter to honor the season, an anniversary, or a special occasion
- Remove, add, or rearrange sections depending on their usefulness
- Switch to an unexpected angle for this month’s (or week’s) edition
- Figure out new ways for encouraging your audience to sign up — no holds barred
There’s no need to alter every single thing or disorientate your audience with tweaks every week. Still, we risk losing our readers’ and viewers’ interest if our businesses stay rigid and rusty in their dated form. Small changes might take you further than you think and this season is your permission to act.
4. A Website That Doubles As a Coffee Shop
Autumn is the cozy season. And since we like to think that we lead by example, we hope that you feel warm, happy and at home here on the CBA Content website (we’re always open to feedback, let us know if we can make it even cozier here!). It’s super duper important to make your online space as inviting for your audience as possible so that, compelled, they come back and hang around longer.
So what can you do to make your website snug for others? Think of it as a coffee shop. There are hardly more welcoming places out there than cafes, and you don’t need to be a caffeine addict to agree. Imagine: if you furnish your website with comfy armchairs, decorate with candles, play some soft jazz music, and fill it with the aroma of cinnamon buns, who could resist?
Now on to specifics: revamping your website might mean a number of innovations and you’re the expert of your cafe. However, here are some tips to help you get started: make your case studies clear and easy to follow. Polish your services or offering and tailor it to your audience’s feedback. Add on-brand, eye-catching newsletter sign-up and social media buttons (fun!). You might also consider hiring a designer to help bring your coffee-shop vision to life (teamwork makes the dream work).
Should you need a more out-of-the-box idea, you could start an online book club or podcast to deepen your relationship with your audience (if that’s not cozy, we don’t know what is). Ready? We’ll have that pumpkin spice latte now, thanks!
5. The Perfect Excuse to Contemplate
Here, we circle back to decluttering for a moment. Old leaves fall from trees to make room for new sprouts in Spring, right? Same here: reduce your to-do lists to essential tasks that move the business forward, review partnerships and decide whether they still work for the betterment of your endeavor’s financial health and stability. In the words of Marie Forleo:
Simplify to amplify.
Autumn is our annual gift of time to reflect (Mother Nature knows there’s a lot to ponder). Pro tip: grab a journal and visit your local coffee shop. Sit back, relax, and daydream for a bit. Allow yourself to loosen up and let your mind wander.
Sooner or later, questions will pop up in your mind: Is my direction still clear? Have my values changed? Does my mission statement reflect what I’m passionate about and how I’d like to help others? Then write away, doodle, put together a rhymed poem — whatever brings you closer to answers.
Fall Into Novelty
Consciously or not, we expect all sorts of change in Autumn simply because they’re inevitable. Slow, yet steady transformation brings results. Embrace this phase both in nature and in business, there’s magic in new beginnings. Lean into novelty and Autumn will fuel your inspiration with a fresh perspective glistening in the lazy sun. Fall in love with Fall, learn from its awe-inducing beauty and rustling wisdom, and let your business bloom even before Spring arrives.
Fall, leaves, fall; die, flowers, away;
— Emily Brontë
Lengthen night and shorten day;
Every leaf speaks bliss to me
Fluttering from the autumn tree.
Not sure how to take the next step with your content strategy? Lean into a new beginning with our free Content Marketing Scorecard. By answering a set of 16 yes/no questions, you will come away with specific recommendations on how to improve your brand awareness, social media presence, and content offering. It takes less than five minutes to fill out and is completely confidential. Click below!