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As the end of 2018 quickly rolls around, it is now time to start proactively planning your 2019 marketing spend and activities. Guaranteeing marketing success in the year ahead will require you to reflect, focus and plan ahead.
Use these five simple steps to create a marketing plan to boost your business and brand in 2019.
1. Create a Marketing Schedule Calendar
Get a 2019 calendar and mark each day/week you want to launch marketing activities for your business. Consider days/weeks that are key sales periods, of course this will depend on your business and key markets. Remember, to make sure you firstly take the time to reflect on your 2018 marketing activities and identify what provided the best ROI.
2. Identify Marketing Deadlines
After you have identified your key dates for 2019 on your Marketing Schedule Calendar, count back four weeks and mark it as “Marketing Deadline”. This is when you should have your marketing activity finalized and ready to go. Too often important marketing activities are rushed and this greatly impacts on the creative process being compromised.
3. Make Strategy Time
For every day/week marked “Marketing Deadline” schedule at least two weeks before as “Strategy Time”. This is when you need to make time to review the overall marketing strategy to make sure it is inline with current objectives and will provide a real ROI. Marketing KPIs you need to be measuring to better understand your ROI may include: website traffic and engagement, social media reach and engagement, marketing qualified leads (MQL), sales qualified leads (SQL), and of course sales growth relevant to the marketing activities.
4. Consider Production Time
Effective marketing involves creating, drafting, revising and delivering. Identifying creative partners and briefing them on your business takes time. Producing marketing materials, booking quality advertising space or media spots also takes time. By leaving this all too late will limit your potential ROI. This is why it is extremely important to focus and plan ahead for 2019.
5. Build Professional Relationships
Finally, now is a great time to start reviewing or building new relationships with designers, agencies and media outlets in preparation of launching your 2019 marketing activities. By reaching out now you will be able to start to develop relationships with key partners. Like effective marketing, creative business relationships take time to build.
Scopic works with you to plan ahead and maximize marketing returns, contact us to find out more.
Use these five simple steps to create a marketing plan to boost your business and brand in 2019.
1. Create a Marketing Schedule Calendar
Get a 2019 calendar and mark each day/week you want to launch marketing activities for your business. Consider days/weeks that are key sales periods, of course this will depend on your business and key markets. Remember, to make sure you firstly take the time to reflect on your 2018 marketing activities and identify what provided the best ROI.
2. Identify Marketing Deadlines
After you have identified your key dates for 2019 on your Marketing Schedule Calendar, count back four weeks and mark it as “Marketing Deadline”. This is when you should have your marketing activity finalized and ready to go. Too often important marketing activities are rushed and this greatly impacts on the creative process being compromised.
3. Make Strategy Time
For every day/week marked “Marketing Deadline” schedule at least two weeks before as “Strategy Time”. This is when you need to make time to review the overall marketing strategy to make sure it is inline with current objectives and will provide a real ROI. Marketing KPIs you need to be measuring to better understand your ROI may include: website traffic and engagement, social media reach and engagement, marketing qualified leads (MQL), sales qualified leads (SQL), and of course sales growth relevant to the marketing activities.
4. Consider Production Time
Effective marketing involves creating, drafting, revising and delivering. Identifying creative partners and briefing them on your business takes time. Producing marketing materials, booking quality advertising space or media spots also takes time. By leaving this all too late will limit your potential ROI. This is why it is extremely important to focus and plan ahead for 2019.
5. Build Professional Relationships
Finally, now is a great time to start reviewing or building new relationships with designers, agencies and media outlets in preparation of launching your 2019 marketing activities. By reaching out now you will be able to start to develop relationships with key partners. Like effective marketing, creative business relationships take time to build.
Scopic works with you to plan ahead and maximize marketing returns, contact us to find out more.
