So, first things first….Happy New Year! Yes, it’s that time of year again, filled with new year’s resolutions, plans, forecasts and marketing strategies. Our feeds are already filled with posts promoting the need for you to look at your marketing (don’t disagree with this), reviewing it (or this) and writing your strategy / planning for the year (this is where I take issue).
Prospects, clients, industries and trends are constantly evolving and your marketing needs to reflect this. We have no idea what the next few weeks, never mind 12 months, will look like. (Not convinced? Just take a quick look back at 2022 to maybe get a feel for where I am coming from).
Trends come and go, some predictable, some less so. Behaviours stay entrenched or massively change; a great example of this was the rise of Tik Tok with a much broader demographic during lockdown. Putting aside precious hours to plan your marketing in excruciating detail for the next 12 months also requires you to do the impossible (even the January sales do not offer a crystal ball that is that accurate).
Admittedly, there are aspects that you can plan. If your business is B2B, B2C or even C2C, different times of year will hold events that you can tap into. If you are in retail, everything from Valentines Day in February to Christmas at the end of the year will offer marketing opportunities. Now, I am not suggesting you bin your marketing plan entirely and fly by the seat of your pants, no, what I am saying is…
Review your prospects. Where do they “hang out” (no point being on social media if they don’t use it), what are their “pain points”, how do you help them (think benefits not features) and what’s your messaging? Are you talking your audience’s language, because if they don’t understand you, you might have the best product or service out there but it will be one of the best kept secrets despite any marketing efforts on your part.
Use the information available to you. Analytics, existing clients, feedback and competitor analysis can all help you see gaps, address problems and enhance your offering.
Review what marketing you and your business actually do….because it is so much more than just a website and some social media posts.
Your marketing is so much more than a document and the key is customer experience. What do your customers say about you?
“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” – Maya Angelou.
That’s all for now, but keep an eye out for our next blog.
Pamela & the Re:VAMP Team.