When you’re running your business, marketing can feel like a discipline that you know you need to do but don’t really want to do. Kind of like exercising during December. You know that you will feel better on January 1 if you don’t slack on your workout, but who really does that anyway? TBH: winners do. So if you want to win at marketing in 2020, don’t make planning your strategy a New Year’s resolution, get started today.
Set aside a block of time to brainstorm your marketing strategy for 2020. Gather your team for collaboration or a getaway to an inspirational location. Even a half-day in a new space can spark creativity. Decide where you want your marketing to take your business in the new year and work backward from there. The following questions can serve as a guideline to prepare your marketing plan for quick wins in Q1 2020.
1. Review what worked and what didn’t in 2019.
Don’t waste time on tactics that don’t produce results. Ask yourself and/or your team these hard questions and give honest answers.
What’s stressing you out about marketing? How can you alleviate the pain points and frustrations? Make a list and consider what things you can delegate or outsource.
Where do you need to allocate marketing spend? Did you lose money on marketing this year? For example, if PPC didn’t produce results, maybe you should invest those dollars in Facebook ads instead.
2. Set marketing goals and measures for 2020.
Without vision, the people perish. Invest some skin in the game here and dare to dream big.
What hopes do you have for your marketing in 2020? Do you want to start a blog or ramp up your social media videos? Add more customer testimonials to your website? Maybe you want to establish a stronger presence on LinkedIn?
Is there a big idea you’ve wanted to take action on but haven’t yet? Perhaps a brand video to showcase your work? How can you take that idea from “dream” to “done?”
What habits do you need to implement to see measured growth? If you’re struggling to be consistent with social media, what measures can you put into place that will keep you on track?
3. Create a marketing action plan.
With your big dreams and goals in hand, now it’s time to craft your plan. Get your spreadsheets and sticky notes ready and decide when and how you’ll take action.
Ask yourself why each goal matters. This can help you drill down to the most important things and decide how to begin.
Prioritize and simplify your goals. Don’t overcomplicate tasks. Look for the easiest way to complete the job. Once you establish new marketing rhythms you can add in more complexity.
Decide how you will tackle each goal. You may need to create mini-goals to support your big goal. Write down the action item and assign a date to it. Setting a deadline gives momentum and accountability to your plan.
4. Automate and schedule as much as you can.
There are many great marketing tools that do the heavy lifting for you. We will write a post on our favorite marketing tools of 2019 soon so keep an eye out for that. In the meantime, take an inventory of how much time you’re spending on marketing and consider the following:
Which items on your marketing action plan can be automated?
Do you know what kind of technology is available to help you automate? You may need to set aside time to do a bit of research here.
How much money can you allocate to marketing technology? Several services have free versions with limited accessibility or a free trial period for you to test the product before you buy. Can you get it all done without breaking the budget?
5. Let us help you make the most of your 2020 marketing strategy!
We hope that you will leverage these steps and questions to guide you as you begin planning your 2020 marketing strategy. On the other hand, if this feels a bit overwhelming or you want someone to walk you through it, give us a call. We would love to answer any questions you may have and offer some fresh ideas on how to position your business.