It’s hard to believe that we are coming to the end of 2018 already. With the holiday season in full swing, businesses across the country are gearing up for holiday parties and events, employee vacations, and wrapping up the year. (Tramadol)
A look back at successes and failures throughout the year is definitely necessary around this time, but don’t forget to also get a head start on planning for 2019, especially when it comes to marketing. Now is the time to start researching trends and solidifying your budget so that you’re ready to roll come January First.
If you’re new to creating marketing plans or need a few reminders, here are some tips for preparing your 2019 marketing plan.
Evaluate Your Past Year
Take a deep dive into your marketing efforts from the past year and decide what worked and what did not. Many times, marketing comes down to trial and error when you are trying to figure out what resonates most with your target audience. While we often try different methods of reaching customers and clients, some end up working better than others, and it’s important to understand the evaluation.
Now is the time to figure out what needs to be saved and what should be cut from your marketing efforts in the New Year.
Clean Out the Old & Update
Take some time at the end of the year to clean up your online presence. How long has it been since you updated your company website? Does your “About Us” page still have employees that have left, or have you neglected to add new rock star employees to the site? Are all of your social media accounts uniform? Meaning that they all have the same branding colors, logo, and description of your company. One of the most significant ways you can lose the trust of potential customers is by lacking consistent branding.
While there is downtime in the office over the holidays, give your website and social accounts some TLC. This will make it better for you in the New Year when you start to implement your 2019 marketing plan.
Define Your Goals
As with anything, your marketing plan should have clearly defined goals. Is 2019 a building year for you? Have you recently rebranded? Do you want to gain followers, or do you need to increase your engagement across social channels? Think about what specific goals you have for marketing your company, and write them down. When it comes to developing the full plan, you will need to make sure that each part is working toward achieving your goals.
Decide on a Budget
Depending on what your goals are, you will need to establish a budget that works for your company. Marketing is essential to your company’s success, so you will need to prioritize where you will be spending money. Are you focusing on social media ads? Do you want to partner with an influencer? Have you decided which avenues you want to use for advertising?
All of these marketing tactics will require money. Use your goals as a guide and decide how much you plan on spending for the year.
Make a Plan
Now comes the fun part! Put all of the above things together; add a timeline and bam! You have a marketing plan!
Just kidding. It’s not that easy.
Do consider each of the above as you formulate your plan for next year, but also decide how much your company can realistically handle on its own. Marketing is a major department in most big businesses, but sometimes it’s difficult for smaller companies to even have one dedicated marketing person. Putting together the marketing plan may require input from others in leadership, or perhaps the expertise of an outside firm.
Consider all your options when finalizing how you want to market your business in 2019. If you’re new to marketing or need help enhancing your current efforts, contact us at Miss Ink. Our experienced team can help you put together a strong plan based on your previous successes, future goals, and budget.
We look forward to working with you!
