The Power of the Pivot: 3 Quick Tweaks for Big Payoffs

Are we seriously in April already?? It seems like 2025 just began and BAM just like that Q1 is done, Q2 is here and before you know it, you’re going to be buying Christmas presents. Okay, maybe we’re not quite there yet, but it’s no joke that this year is flying by. So, how do we make the most of Q2 and beyond? To start, we need to evaluate what we’ve done in Q1, determine what worked, what didn’t work, and what REALLY didn’t work, and adjust as needed. 

Yes, sure, you probably have a whole 2025 plan in place, so does that mean it’s too early to evaluate? No! For example, think of a product launch strategy: If you rolled out a new offering in Q1 and the market response was underwhelming, would you continue with the same approach for the rest of the year? Of course not. You’d analyze performance, gather insights, and refine your strategy to ensure better results moving forward. The same logic applies to your annual plans, regular evaluation and agility are key to sustained success. 

So, how do you do that? We’ll walk through 3 key areas you need to evaluate in order to ensure a more successful Q2. In these areas even small tweaks can bring about big wins. Let’s dive in!

#1. Website & SEO 

As your primary owned channel, your website is perhaps the most important thing to have in order. It's the first place potential customers go to learn more about what you offer. A well-optimized website not only builds credibility but also ensures a seamless user experience, keeping visitors engaged and driving conversions. 

Start by analyzing key metrics like traffic sources, bounce rates, and session durations to understand how users are interacting with your site. It’s important to understand how users came to your site last quarter. If most users are coming from organic search but bounce rates are high and session durations are low, this could indicate that you have good search SEO, but not good on-page SEO. This might indicate that your content isn’t resonating or that navigation needs improvement. If this is the case, improving content at the very least should be a priority for Q2, with navigation improvements noted for whenever possible. 

No-one coming to the site? If you notice that you’re not getting a lot of traffic from search, conduct an SEO audit this quarter to assess keyword rankings and search visibility. Identify underperforming pages and optimize them with stronger keywords, better meta descriptions, and improved on-page SEO. Additionally, refining your internal linking strategy can enhance user experience, boost rankings, and encourage visitors to explore more of your content.

By keeping your website well-maintained and SEO-friendly, you’ll ensure it remains a powerful asset that drives growth and engagement in Q2 and beyond.

#2. Social Media 

Next is your social media channels! Although you don’t own your social channels, you do own the content you put up there, making it a super important tactic to evaluate. A strong social media presence keeps your brand top of mind, engages your audience, and drives traffic back to your owned channels. That’s why regular evaluation is key to ensuring you're getting the most out of your efforts.

Start by analyzing key metrics like impressions, engagement rates, and follower growth. These insights will help you understand what’s working, what’s not, and where to focus your energy in Q2 and beyond. If impressions are high and engagements are low, this could indicate that your content isn’t resonating with your audience. It might be time to refine your messaging or switch up your visuals this quarter. 

Once you have a clear picture of performance, it’s time to fine-tune your approach. Identify which content types, videos, carousels, stories, or static posts resonate most with your audience. Then, adjust your posting frequency and content formats to maximize impact. But remember, a mix of content performs best, this will just help to determine what that mix is made up of! Social media moves fast, and staying agile is the key to keeping your audience engaged and growing. 

#3. Email Marketing Performance

Email marketing remains one of the most effective owned channels, but only if it’s optimized for engagement! 

Start by analyzing key metrics such as open rates, click-through rates, and unsubscribes to see what’s working (or what’s falling flat). If people aren’t opening your emails or clicking through, it’s time to rethink your approach in Q2. On the other hand, if subscribers are opening your emails but not clicking through, then it may be a matter of making the email content more engaging to your audience. 

One of the simplest ways to get your open rate up is by refining your subject lines. A strong subject line can make all the difference. In order to maximize impact, we always recommend A/B testing subject lines to see what resonates most with your audience. Test different lengths, tones, and emojis, whether it's a question, a sense of urgency, or a touch of personalization. Over time, these insights will help you craft subject lines that consistently grab attention and drive higher open rates.

Beyond content, testing different formats can help refine your strategy next quarter. Interactive emails (those that include polls, games, etc.), for example, encourage engagement directly within the inbox, CTAs, or layouts can reveal what resonates most with your audience. Even small tweaks can lead to noticeable improvements in Q2 and beyond.

How the Marketing Audit Can Help

We know that this seems like a lot (because it is)! And we’ve only highlighted three of the many tactics you could analyze. What about collateral? Print? Your paid ads? Any and all of your marketing efforts need to be analyzed to get a holistic view of how your marketing efforts are performing as a whole and where exactly the tweaks need to be made. Although we recommend evaluating and making small tweaks quarter over quarter, it may be necessary to do a complete audit that spans over the past 12 months of all marketing efforts to identify bigger shifts and opportunities. 

This is where our Marketing Audit comes in. This comprehensive review identifies marketing gaps, allowing you to refine your tactics and help your marketing deliver maximum impact, boost ROI, and drive greater profitability. We’ll go through all your marketing tactics and carefully analyze each one. We’ll then provide you with actionable recommendations for the next 30, 60, and 90 days, setting you up for success in the next quarter and beyond. 

Ready to Evaluate? 

Now that you know what to look for, are you ready to get started? By evaluating your website, social, and email performance last quarter you will likely find small tweaks that will lead to big wins. If your brand could benefit from a more comprehensive audit, going back 12 months and looking at all channels, our Marketing Audit is here to help! Learn more here: redcatmarketing.ca/marketing-audit