Top 5 New Year Marketing Resolutions
Michelle Gamble
| 
Monday, 14 December 2009
| 
I thought I'd end the year with 5 new year marketing resolutions to kick off
the next one.
I recently ended my own year by presenting my vision for the business for 2010 to the team, how we're going to achieve it and what we need to implement to help us do it.
I'm looking forward to some time off over the festive season, but spending some time at the end of the year planning already has me energised and implementing things to achieve my goal.
So here's my Top 5 of what you might want to start thinking about if you want 2010 to be a year of achievement and growth.
1. Plan!
It's a terrifying fact that most small businesses don't have a marketing plan. They take a "try lots of things and see what works approach". No plan basically means you're going to get mixed results and your marketing won't be aligned to achieve sales or a strategy.
Your marketing activities might be driving sales but is it building a brand and creating long term strategic value?
A plan should start with key objectives:
- sales targets
- retention targets
- what perception in the market you want to create
Everything else then links back to that. A plan will give you focus and stop you wasting precious $$$ on tactics or targeting markets that aren't aligned with the business.
2. Commit to building a brand.
Do you know why you are in business? Not the obvious reason but the purpose of the business that everyone in it is aligned to. E.g. Microsoft's "a PC in every home objective".
What business are you in and how do you articulate it to customers?
Getting your blueprint down for your brand will help provide clarity and consistency in all your marketing.
Have you worked out how you are going to raise brand awareness?
Most small business don't focus on brand building because there isn't always a direct link to sales.
The fact is - the higher your brand awareness the less you need to spend on advertising.
Do you know what you stand for?
Is it clear to your customers?
Do you consistently evangelise it?
It's cheaper than ever to build brand awareness with tools like blogging, social media and google but it takes effort. Those who put in the effort will reap the rewards
3. Perfect your online presence
Your online presence is the most critical element of the marketing mix in today's marketing environment.
There's so much buzz today about Social Media, it's here to stay but be mindful that it's not some magic silver bullet.
It only works if you commit to it, are clear on what you want to achieve for your business with it, consistently engage and you have all the other elements right.
A site with clear objectives for visitors to follow, a good presence on google, regularly updated and a blog or some other form of customer engagement will make any Social Media activity more effective.
4. Create Trust
Trust is absolutely critical in today's environment. If you let your customers down or try to manipulate the market with dishonest marketing tactics you are more at risk of creating permanent damage to your brand than you've ever been before.
Social media brings with it opportunity but also serious risks with customers more able to spread the word, good or bad then ever before.
Becoming known for what you are good at and building trust amongst current and potential customers is the key to growth.
There's no easy way to do it. You need to constantly monitor customer feedback, engage with customers and then adapt your products and services to acknowledge that you are listening to them. Trust then follows.
5. Start now!
Usually at this time of the year, everyone is focussed on getting to the last day of work and then spending some precious down time to re-energise.
We get back on deck after the silly season some time in January and before you know it it's March and no new initiatives have been put in place.
Take time early in the year or even now to do some planning. No plan gets you wish washy vague results in your business and from your team.
If you need help we're launching a series of competitively priced DIY Marketing planning workshops with only a limited number of participants to help small businesses get a focused plan together starting in January.
So get ahead of the pack this year and get your plan together now!
I recently ended my own year by presenting my vision for the business for 2010 to the team, how we're going to achieve it and what we need to implement to help us do it.
I'm looking forward to some time off over the festive season, but spending some time at the end of the year planning already has me energised and implementing things to achieve my goal.
So here's my Top 5 of what you might want to start thinking about if you want 2010 to be a year of achievement and growth.
1. Plan!
It's a terrifying fact that most small businesses don't have a marketing plan. They take a "try lots of things and see what works approach". No plan basically means you're going to get mixed results and your marketing won't be aligned to achieve sales or a strategy.
Your marketing activities might be driving sales but is it building a brand and creating long term strategic value?
A plan should start with key objectives:
- sales targets
- retention targets
- what perception in the market you want to create
Everything else then links back to that. A plan will give you focus and stop you wasting precious $$$ on tactics or targeting markets that aren't aligned with the business.
2. Commit to building a brand.
Do you know why you are in business? Not the obvious reason but the purpose of the business that everyone in it is aligned to. E.g. Microsoft's "a PC in every home objective".
What business are you in and how do you articulate it to customers?
Getting your blueprint down for your brand will help provide clarity and consistency in all your marketing.
Have you worked out how you are going to raise brand awareness?
Most small business don't focus on brand building because there isn't always a direct link to sales.
The fact is - the higher your brand awareness the less you need to spend on advertising.
Do you know what you stand for?
Is it clear to your customers?
Do you consistently evangelise it?
It's cheaper than ever to build brand awareness with tools like blogging, social media and google but it takes effort. Those who put in the effort will reap the rewards
3. Perfect your online presence
Your online presence is the most critical element of the marketing mix in today's marketing environment.
There's so much buzz today about Social Media, it's here to stay but be mindful that it's not some magic silver bullet.
It only works if you commit to it, are clear on what you want to achieve for your business with it, consistently engage and you have all the other elements right.
A site with clear objectives for visitors to follow, a good presence on google, regularly updated and a blog or some other form of customer engagement will make any Social Media activity more effective.
4. Create Trust
Trust is absolutely critical in today's environment. If you let your customers down or try to manipulate the market with dishonest marketing tactics you are more at risk of creating permanent damage to your brand than you've ever been before.
Social media brings with it opportunity but also serious risks with customers more able to spread the word, good or bad then ever before.
Becoming known for what you are good at and building trust amongst current and potential customers is the key to growth.
There's no easy way to do it. You need to constantly monitor customer feedback, engage with customers and then adapt your products and services to acknowledge that you are listening to them. Trust then follows.
5. Start now!
Usually at this time of the year, everyone is focussed on getting to the last day of work and then spending some precious down time to re-energise.
We get back on deck after the silly season some time in January and before you know it it's March and no new initiatives have been put in place.
Take time early in the year or even now to do some planning. No plan gets you wish washy vague results in your business and from your team.
If you need help we're launching a series of competitively priced DIY Marketing planning workshops with only a limited number of participants to help small businesses get a focused plan together starting in January.
So get ahead of the pack this year and get your plan together now!
Dionne White | Monday, 18 January 2010 10:13:36 PM