Fall is here, but for businesses, organizations and marketing teams, the new year is already looming over us. You’ve got goals, but between the budgeting, marketing channels to choose from and only 24 hours in a day to get things done. You need a strategy to get you to your goals, but even planning takes time.
We’re firm believers that while you don’t need to have everything figured out today, you do need to go ahead and start thinking about it now.
Why Plan Your Marketing Strategy Before January?
Don’t you hate feeling like you’re already behind and in a scramble to catch up? We thought so. That’s why fall is the perfect time to work on your strategy. It gives you plenty of space to think strategically because you’re able to step back and see the bigger picture.
One of the first places to begin is a conversation with your crew, look at the past year and learn from it. Questions you should talk about include:
- What worked this year? What didn’t work?
- Did we encounter any surprises along the way?
- Is there anything we should be doing more or less of?
As you’re asking these questions, you also get a chance to make sure your marketing aligns with your business goals. They don’t live in separate bubbles. Knowing what is happening in your organization helps determine which marketing efforts you need to accomplish.
This also gives you a chance to talk about priorities. Instead of entering a new year with a list of “things we should probably do,” you can determine what really matters.
In the end, you’re setting your organization up to hit the ground running on January 1, rather than feeling behind or approaching marketing reactively.
"But My Team is Already Busy"
We know, we know. Planning your marketing strategy in advance sounds great, but your days are pretty full with a number of activities. From day-to-day marketing to deadlines you can’t miss and events to plan, plus someone really needs to update and send the newsletter out. Oh, and don’t forget that KPIs report you owe the leadership team.
The challenge isn’t always knowing that having a strategy in place is important; it’s having the time and human power to do it well.
Strategy ≠ Planning Every Tiny Detail
Some may hear “annual marketing strategy” and envision a giant spreadsheet with 12 months of blog ideas, social media posts, emails and campaigns. However, a good strategy is actually more about establishing direction and priorities, not predicting every detail.
Some questions you should consider at this stage of planning include:
- What are our biggest goals for the next year, 18 months, 3 years, etc.?
- Who are we trying to reach?
- What do they need from us?
- What’s working now?
- Where are we falling short?
- Which channels are actually helping us reach our audience?
- What should we stop doing?
- What efforts deserve more investment of our time and money?
- What can our team realistically handle?
It also helps to look at your KPIs so you can measure your efforts over the past year. Results can be a huge help in determining where you need to focus your efforts to so you can get the most out of the least effort required.
Remember: A good strategy gives your team focus and clarity, not another giant document to maintain.
Getting Your Marketing Strategy Started
As you start thiking about your strategy for next year, keep in mind it doesn’t have to be done right away. It just needs to be started so you can have a better idea of where you’re at, where you’re going, and what you need to do to get there.
If you’re not sure where to start, our Marketing Strategy Workshop is a great place to begin. It’s designed to help you take a fresh look at your current marketing efforts and create clear direction for the next year. We look at what’s working, what’s not, uncover opportunities, set priorities, and turn your “we should probably do this ideas into an actionable strategy.
And if you need help putting the strategy into action, tag us in! We’re ready to step in as Your Marketing Department and support your team through an ongoing partnership that supports branding and marketing momentum or through special projects so your team can focus on the day-to-day marketing.
Ready to start planning for next year? Contact us to request a Marketing Strategy Workshop and let’s get started!
