Spring cleaning is a lot of hard work. Even the people who are organized and tidy year-round find that it’s a time for elbow grease, heavy lifting and lots (lots) of Mr. Clean Magic Erasers.

Of course, the hardest part isn’t always the couch moving, refrigerator dragging or wall scrubbing action. The hardest part is knowing where to start. The same is true when it’s time for spring cleaning for your marketing efforts. And it is time to clean up your marketing.

First, I want to acknowledge that I’m not a home cleaning expert. This is, after all, a marketing blog, but this mention is here mostly to keep my wife from putting me in charge of spring cleaning in our home this year.

Light dusting – the easy stuff

Show me one person who starts cleaning the house by moving the refrigerator, and I’ll show you somebody who works out a little too much. The rest of us start with the light work that has the biggest effect. Why? It’s easy work and we can see the results. Here’s how to get started.

Clean your email marketing lists

Most email marketing platforms will remove ‘bad’ emails automatically, but there’s more to list health than removing broken addresses.

If you measure the quality of your email lists by engagement, consider a campaign to separate those who are actively participating and paying attention from those who drag your mail to the trash. If your platform allows, send an email to those not opening emails or clicking, and invite them to re-subscribe to your content. Remind them why then signed up in the first place, and the kind of content they’ll be missing out on if they don’t.

Removing or segregating those users who are emotionally unsubscribed is a great way to see the actual engagement of your email marketing efforts.

Polish your metrics windows

Your social media channels, email marketing program, website, mobile site, microsites and CRM all have at least one form of marketing intelligence or analytics built into them. Have your charts been collecting cobwebs over the past year?

Check the condition of your marketing measurement tools to ensure they’re set up and functioning correctly. Take some time to re-explore the interface and be on the lookout for interesting updates or additions that have been added over the past year.

Did your email provider add social media tools? Or take a look at the new ways you can measure participation on Pinterest. And have you checked out Google’s new(ish) multi-channel reporting?

Just like that drawer in your kitchen (you know the one) you may be the owner of a lot more useful tools and gadgets than you know! Take a moment to inventory what you have.

Move the fridge and get the broom!

Now it’s time to really clean up your marketing efforts. Are you ready?

Download our free guide, 5 Things Every Marketer Should be Doing (But Isn’t) and learn how you can get more shine from your online and traditional marketing without a whole lot of hard scrubbing.

In the free download for marketers, there’s even an offer for a free consultation if you want help finding the best start point for your company… or need a hand moving that refrigerator.