It is always important to plan for the year ahead, whether this is planning for your business or for clients it needs to be done! If you’ve not started yet it is not too late, and if you’ve already started, not too worry there are still a few tips you might have forgotten!
Your plan may change throughout the year but it is so important to make sure you have one to layout your priorities and goals for the business.
We are going to give a few handy tips on planning for the new year.
Step 1: Review The Past Year
- Ask yourself what worked in your business and what didn’t?
- Go through your past year’s budgets, did it work well, check which months you made the most, spent the most, spent the least and why this is the case. If you had lots of budget left over, maybe this year spend a little bit extra on making your goals work.
- Go through your analytics for your marketing, did your engagement increase? Did this help you reach your goal? If not try a new approach this year, if it did work well ask yourself how you could increase it more.
- Brainstorm your business as a whole, how could you make the process flow smoother? Few ideas: stay on track, prioritise your work correctly and keep organised.
Step 2: Set Clear Goals
Set SMART (specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, time-bound) goals. You should have multiple goals for the business as a whole for the end of the year, for each quarter, for the end of each month and weekly goals.
Step 3: Create a Calendar
Print yourself out a calendar and for each month and prioritise what needs to be done for that month. Don’t forget to include seasons and holidays, adding a festive theme to your marketing. Find awareness days for each month and make sure your up to date with them including the correct hashtags.
Another big tip is to print out and stick the calendar on the wall where it is visible and a constant reminder of what you want to achieve – this works really well and is something we do. If your plan sits in your desk drawer, it will gather dust.
Step 4: Review Monthly
At the end of each month review how your month has gone, if there were downfalls, why did they occur and how can you prevent it from happening next time. Think about how to continue to improve. Check monthly analytics, this is really important to see success. Check your stats!
Join our next Marketing Planning Masterclass
When: 23rd January 2020 – 9.30am -12.30am
Where: 96a High Road, Beeston, Nottingham, NG9 2LF
Further Reading:
5 Mistakes to Avoid on Social Media
Are you a Marketing Magpie?
Are Testimonials Important
Do I Need a Marketing Plan
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