Can you believe it’s already the start of a New Year? We can’t believe it either, 2014 came faster than we expected, but with it brings lots of new and exciting opportunities, both for us and for you!
The most important thing you can do at the start of the new year, is look back at your previous year, and answer these questions:
- What could you have done better during the year?
- What do you WISH you did during the year?
- What was GREAT about the year?
Take some time to answer these questions. Look at your revenue numbers, the percent of new business you brought in, and the percent of customers you had coming back over and over again.
Then, it’s time to set some goals for the new year.
- What do you want to accomplish this year?
- How much do you want to grow your business this year?
Now it’s time to figure out HOW do you achieve these goals? What can you do to put these goals into action and not let them fall by the wayside come March, when your enthusiasm and energy start to wear out? You should make a marketing plan. For example: Do you want to drive more traffic to your website? Then you should create a marketing plan that lays out how you will do that. Perhaps it is creating 1 unique, informative piece of content each week on your website and sharing that with your online fans. Or perhaps you want to encourage repeat customers, so you decide to create a loyalty program, where your regular customers are rewarded for their dedication to your business.
Whatever your goals are, keep in mind that you should spend around 5% of your profit on your Marketing. And your Marketing includes advertising (online & print), business cards, website, SEO, social media, loyalty programs, signage etc.
If you’re overwhelmed by the prospect of creating your own marketing plan, relax, there is an 8 Step Plan you can follow, or you can call us at (201) 639-4252 to help you.
Start off the New Year Right – You’ll be amazed at what you can achieve.
