Tuesday November 1, 2022 comments Tags: Planning, Review, digital marketing

It's that time of year again! Time to reflect on the year that was and start planning for the year ahead. If you're like most business owners, that means it's time to start thinking about your digital marketing. Now, I know what you're thinking. You're thinking, "I don't need to plan my digital marketing; I've got this." And to that, I say congratulations! You are one of the few people who actually know what they're doing when it comes to digital marketing. For the rest of us, a little planning can go a long way.

Why Plan?

There are a couple of reasons why you should take the time to sit down and plan your digital marketing for the year ahead. First, it will help you take stock of what's worked in the past and what hasn't. This is important because it will allow you to replicate your successes and learn from your failures. Second, a little planning will help ensure your marketing dollars are well spent. After all, there's only a point in throwing money at a problem if you have a plan for how to fix it. 

So, how do you go about planning your digital marketing? Below are four tips to get you started.

Let's Take a Look

The first step in any good digital marketing plan is to review your analytics from the past year. This includes taking a close look at your website traffic, social media engagement, email open rates, and anything else that can give you insight into how effective (or ineffective) your marketing has been. This exercise will not only help you identify areas where you need to improve, but it will also give you a better understanding of what's working and why. 

Prepping For Next Year 

After you've taken a close look at your accomplishments and missed opportunities, it's time to set some goals for next year. These goals should be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART). For example, a goal might be to increase website traffic by 25% over the course of the year or to double email open rates within six months. Both of those goals sound pretty SMART to me! Additionally, you'll want to prep for next year's marketing budget by reviewing your costs from the past year and estimating how much you'll need to spend on activities such as content creation, paid advertising, and more.

Making It Happen 

Once you've set some goals, it's time to start thinking about how you will achieve them. This is where having a team comes in handy because brainstorming with other people is always more fun than brainstorming by yourself (trust me, I've tried both). But even if you don't have a team, there are still some things you can do to get the creative juices flowing. Three of my favorite things are reading industry news, attending webinars, and following thought leaders on social media.

Celebrate Good Times - Come On!

Finally, don't forget to celebrate the people who contributed to your past year's success. Whether it's your team, your clients, or just someone who gave you some great advice, taking a moment to say "thank you" goes a long way. People like feeling appreciated and showing them that you appreciate their help will only make them more likely to help you in the future. It can be as simple as a shoutout on social media or in your monthly newsletter or as extravagant as throwing a client appreciation event or sending them a gift. When it's all said and done, take a moment to pat yourself and your team on the back—you deserve it!

Planning your digital marketing for the new year can be a manageable task. Following these simple tips can set you up for success in 2023 and beyond. Just don't forget to enjoy the process! The best part of planning is getting excited about all the possibilities for what might be achieved in the coming year. So, go ahead and dream big!