Procrastination—it is something we all fall victim to from time to time, and I’m no exception (writing this blog post is a great example). It’s easy to get caught up in the day-to-day activities that tasks on the backburner tend to be left there…and left there. As we enter Q4, it’s important to look ahead and keep our eye on the coming year.
It can be easy to look at the calendar and say, “2023 is still months away, I’ll start planning soon.” Do you want 2023 to be your best year yet? Then begin building your marketing plan now so you’re ready to hit the ground running in January.
“It takes as much energy to wish as it does to plan.” – Eleanor Roosevelt
We all have good intentions. We want our businesses to succeed, and we want to contribute to that success. We can wish and hope for it all we want, but without action or a plan, you are likely doing nothing more than burning mental energy.
I think we all have an idea what goes into a marketing plan, but if you need a reminder, visit my blog from last year. Note: My 2022 marketing plan blog came out in January 2022—my 2023 blog is September 2022. See! I’m getting better.
Here are just a few tips to get started on your 2023 marketing plan:
1. Know Your Market
What is the competitive landscape? What are the trends and challenges? If you don’t know these things now, take the time to research it before you try to build an effective marketing plan for your business. Without knowing these things how can you be certain your goals are realistic?
2. Know Yourself
How do you rate in comparison to your competitors? Why do customers choose you? If you don’t know these answers consider conducting a SWOT analysis to identify your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. Use the results to identify what sets you apart from your competitors, your unique selling proposition (USP), and incorporate strategies and tactics into your plan that leverage these things.
3. Know Your Customer
Your marketing plan should be focused not only on customer acquisition in the coming year, but also well into the future. It’s important to look ahead to customer needs not yet known today. Strive to anticipate their next needs. Additionally, understand what they need from you—how do they want to engage, what level of customer service do they expect?
4. Define Your Objectives
There are many areas that can be improved, so how do you prioritize it all? What challenges need to be addressed? What opportunities are being overlooked?
Consider using the OKR model (objectives and key results) to help you narrow your focus. The objective is what you want to achieve—generate more sales leads or increase local brand awareness, for example. The key result is the indicator used to measure progress—e.g., create and arm the sales team with a robust sales tool kit, sponsor three community events, etc.
5. Set Time Frames
To help keep the team inspired to meet the company objectives, be sure to set both short- and long-term achievements throughout the year and regularly communicate progress with the team. These incremental wins will motivate the team to stay focused on the big picture.
6. Consider the Core of Who You Are
As you create your marketing plan for the coming year, don’t forget the driving forces behind why you do what you do. Incorporate the larger goals of your company—your mission, vision, and values. These were established as the foundation for your success. Use them to guide all you do.
A new year brings many opportunities. That’s why getting ahead of the game is key— with confidence in your business direction and goals, success and growth will follow. As always, the Moxie team will be here to help you when you need it. experiencemoxie.com/contact-us.
