As 2008 approaches, I am reminded of what I love about marketing. The new year brings new opportunities. Budgets renew. New company goals are set. Trade shows start back up for the season. Now is the perfect opportunity to reexamine your marketing goals, plot our new courses of action and prepare yourself for what’s to come.
It’s about this time of year that I do a bit of marketing housecleaning. Here’s a few questions to ask yourself for the new year..
- What worked for me last year?
- What didn’t work for me last year?
- Did I spend enough in advertising?
- If not, where could I improve my ROI?
- Did I do enough trade shows, or the right kinds of trade shows?
- Did I make new contacts with the right suppliers?
- Is my company more well known now than it was last year?
- Is my growth on target with my realistic goals?
- Is my growth better than the average for my industry?
These questions put you in the right mindset to be critical of your practices and improve your operations. There’s no time like a new year to move forward with new ideas. Some things to consider doing in the next year:
- Is your website up to date, current with pricing and information and as complete as it can be?
- Is your storefront, if applicable, presentable and well stocked and easily recognized?
- Is your brand recognizable and easily identifiable?
- Do you have your budget for the next year formalized and finalized?
- Are you introducing new products or services to the market?
- Have you allocated resources to research and development?
- Are you going to drive yourself crazy with all of this new work?
That last point is particularly important. Rome wasn’t built in a day, but every day a stone is carried is a stone towards completion.
