Taking the time to analyze last year’s achievements and setting up SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Timely) goals for the new year is really important in order to evolve your business. Check out our recent blog post, Make Your Bucket List, Not Your Resolutions, to help you decide on your goals.

Make sure you are giving yourself a chance to accomplish those goals. The year goes by so fast and our good intentions we set in January are too often forgotten under the pile of other things to do. This is why creating a marketing plan will be really helpful. It gives you the opportunity to write down what you would like to accomplish, to think about relevant strategies and tactics to reach those goals and to plan ahead.

A reference
Your marketing plan is your reference document. It will help you keep your objectives in mind. In busy times, when you might feel swamped with work, keeping an eye on your plan will help you be on top of your goals. In slower times, it gives you the opportunity to be prepared and to organize your work for the following months.  

Cross-promoting strategy
Writing down your goals and strategies helps you to see the bigger picture. It makes it possible to keep your efforts consistent and have steady messaging across all your platforms, which will help you to build a stronger brand.   

Work in progress
During the writing process you want to make sure your marketing plan is as complete as possible. Spend time researching your industry, your competition and be as accurate as possible. Understand your strengths and weaknesses, your opportunities and threats. Your research will help you analyze your target market as well, which will influence your strategy. But keep in mind that your plan is a working document. It needs to be flexible and constantly updated with industry trends and business news in order to keep it relevant.

Timing
To make sure you get things done, include a timeline in your plan with specific deadlines. It helps you keep track of what needs to be done. Make sure your team is aware of who is responsible for what.

Analyzing tool
Your marketing plan is a great tool to analyze the year and see how productive you were. It will help your planning for the following year.  

Having a marketing plan helps you to achieve your goals and make you grow; it is a key element for business success. If you need support building your plan, give us a call! We are experts in crafting marketing plans tailored to your annual goals.

-Yasmine