Humans are creatures of habit for better or worse, and it’s often worse when that extends to clinging to marketing strategies that are no longer good for the company—or never were. It’s challenging, especially in larger marketing departments where various generations are at the helm, from marketing employees straight out of MBA programs to seasoned veterans a la the Mad Men era. However, knowing when to let something go is part of being a great marketer. Are you holding onto approaches that aren’t viable?

Let 2017 be the year you clean house and give your marketing department an audit. The wrong approaches waste time, money and talents. Just because something, like direct mail campaigns, “always” worked in the past doesn’t mean they still do. What do the analytics say? Here are the most common marketing strategies you might be able to ditch and what to do instead:

1. Direct mail campaigns. Sticking with this example, it’s a very labor- and money-intensive approach that often garners few returns. It’s expensive, not green, and many times marketing departments choose zip codes at random, so there’s no telling if all that effort is even reaching your target demographic. Instead, go virtual with your campaigns from social media to guest blogging. It’s faster, much cheaper, and you can better target your audience.

2. Manual processes. Of course there are some things that require a manual approach, but there’s also readily available technology to take care of some of the more mundane tasks. Get marketing automation software so you can free up your team to focus on more pressing matters. There’s no need to manually update customer information, compile reports, or post every single social media update when software can handle these jobs for you.

3. Email blasts. Reaching customers via email isn’t completely dead, but many of the go-to approaches are. Make sure all emails display beautifully and quickly on mobile devices. Utilize best practices for engaging titles, shareable content, and analyze responses to make sure you’re sending the right amount at the right time. Email blasts don’t necessarily need to be ditched, but they likely need a makeover. Track the success rates after making changes to deduce whether you should stick with email outreach after all.

4. Phone calls for a personal touch. A growing number of Americans, particularly younger generations, don’t like talking on the phone. However, they might be a little warmer towards texts. Regardless of how you reach someone on the phone, make sure you have their permission (otherwise, especially with texting, it could be illegal). Phone calls might seem like the personal touch people want, but for many demographics it’s a turn off. If you’re targeting a market such as baby boomers or the elderly who might appreciate it, that’s another story. 
However, get personal with handwritten cards or other less-invasive strategies.

5. Client meals. In some instances, such an intimate approach can be acceptable, such as with high-end real estate deals. However, the majority of clients don’t have time for it, and it can come off as too much in most cases. Instead of meeting over drinks or coffee, schedule Facetime or video conferencing with those in-demand clients. It saves everyone time but still gives you that feeling of a personal meeting. However, let clients choose if they prefer an in-person meeting, virtual meeting, or another way to sync up.

6. Banner ads. Banner ads aren’t usually the best investment for your digital marketing dollars. Instead, try to get in on a complementary business or professional’s network via guest blogging or being a featured guest on their podcast. You’ll instantly be linked with a brand new audience, and you don’t have to spend anything but time. You can also consider using a creative management platform for digital advertising that helps you create and implement targeted online advertising in formats like video, display, and native ads that are proven to get to the right prospects at the right time and on the right channels.

Re-working your marketing prowess on a regular basis is a must to keep pace with the competition. What can you shake up this year?