Steps For Developing Your 2018 Marketing Goals

Outsource2Us helps companies achieve their marketing goals for the New Year with an effective marketing strategy.

Continuous optimisation is the key to implementing an informed and effective marketing strategy, and as the year comes to an end, now is the time to review and revise your current strategy. All good marketing comes from a place of knowledge, and in order to ensure your marketing continues to generate a positive ROI, take the time to evaluate how the year has gone. Consider what worked and what didn’t, whether your business needs have changed, and all the external and internal factors influencing the results. Once you can look upon the last year with clarity, it is time to begin planning your 2018 marketing goals.

Consider Your Business Aspirations

The end of the year is a good time to consider what you want to achieve from your marketing. Maybe you want to branch into a new market or increase your reach in your current market. Whatever your goals are, you should have a record of them. A good marketing strategy is informed by your goals, so it is important to set SMART goals that are Specific, Achievable, Measurable, Realistic and Time-bound. Having a clear set of goals and objectives will also assist you when you evaluate your marketing strategy at the end of next year.

Do Your Research

Your marketing strategy should lay its foundation in research, and in order to keep your strategy rooted in fact, it is important to conduct supplementary research at the end of each year. It is pointless to design an entire marketing strategy around an incorrect assumption, and all research – particularly market research – is subject to change. Go back over your SWOT and identify any new opportunities or threats. Research your competitors including any new competition that has come up in the last year. You should be reviewing your analytics regularly anyway, but now you can look closely over the year’s results and identify any trends or patterns.

Invest Your Dollar Wisely

This is the time to look over your budget. Every marketing strategy must work within some monetary confines, and you need to think realistically about what you can achieve. Invest wisely – this is where your research and evaluation will come in handy.

Get Into The Specifics

Now is the time to put together a specific set of tactics and objectives. You know your overall goals – this part of your marketing strategy will form a pathway for you to reach them. Tactics should be innovative to compete with intense competition and also appropriate for your market.

Measure, Evaluate and Revise As You Go

You need to think about how you will judge whether your strategy is effective. Analytics will help you to fine-tune your strategy after you implement it, and if something isn’t working it is never a good idea to plunder on. A good strategy will be adaptable. A powerful marketing strategy will help you to enjoy continued success in the New Year and will show you where to focus your efforts in 2018 in order to attract and retain business.