As the year ends, it’s time for businesses to plan their marketing initiatives. Following is a checklist to help ensure your business is ready for the new year.
1) Look Back to Get Ahead
Review your progress during the past year for insight into which tactics to repeat or eliminate. Ask yourself:
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What steps did you take to adjust to any obstacles?
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Where did you do well or miss the mark?
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What are the short and long-term effects of any challenges for your industry?
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Is there anything that needs to be done differently or adjusted moving forward?
2) Center Your Plan on Key Areas of Growth
Focus on areas with the most potential for growth, starting with these questions:
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Which parts of your business or campaigns generated the highest revenue?
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Do your customers have needs that haven’t been met?
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Are there changes in the marketplace that you need to adapt to?
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Have you conducted Search Engine Optimization (SEO)¹, social media and content audits to know where you stand?
3) Set S.M.A.R.T Goals
Set clear, reachable goals to measure your success using the S.M.A.R.T. method, which represents these five attributes:
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Specific: Help narrow your goals with the five “W” questions:
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What do I want to accomplish?
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Why is this goal important?
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Who is involved?
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Where is it located?
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Which resources are needed?
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Measurable: Have something to measure against to monitor your progress toward achieving your objectives.
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Attainable: Keep your goals realistic, with the resources and budget necessary to reach your desired results.
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Relevant: Assure your plan supports accomplishing other business objectives.
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Timely: Keep to a schedule that is realistic and flexible, adjusting along the way as needed.
4) Strategize a Game Plan
Strategize a game plan for obtaining your goals with the following tactics:
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Search Engine Marketing (SEM)² and Optimization (SEO)
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Online Directories (ex. Google My Business, Yelp, etc.)
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Social Media
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Content Marketing
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Email Marketing
5) Analyze and Track Progress
Set up a way to quantify and track your progress, either by using a third-party or by implementing each of your channel’s reporting features. Having good data keeps you accountable and provides a way to check your progress along the way.
By marking off each section on this list, you will be well on your way to implementing a robust digital marketing strategy.
SEO¹: Optimizing your website for the purpose of getting free traffic from search engines.
²SEM: Increasing visibility in search engines either by getting paid traffic through PPC (pay-per-click) advertising, when advertisers pay a cost per click, or through SEO. — reliablesoft.net
Source: Vivial.net