Getting strategic

Andy Ball, managing director at Balls2 Marketing, talks about taking time out in January to consider your 2019 business goals in order to inspire your marketing strategy.

When you read this, you may have decided that ‘dry January’ or another new year’s resolution isn’t for you, but that doesn’t mean it’s too late to start the new year right for your business.

January is a good month to think about what you want your business to achieve in 2019, so that you can create a strong marketing strategy that will see you through the year.

Not only will a great strategy focus your marketing spend and activity, it will also give you time to think about where you can make things more efficient in other areas of your business too. Whether it’s consolidating your range, looking for other suppliers that might give you a better service, or just bringing something in house that is still being out-sourced because ‘it’s always been that way’.

Sometimes, it just comes down to asking the right questions and giving your team or business partners food for thought. How can we change this? What can we learn from? How can it improve?

It’s good to ask customers too. You could use the new year as a reason to conduct a customer survey to find out what they think you do well and what they think you could improve. This will give you a solid basis to build your business goals.

Once you’ve got your goals, have a look at the wider industry and what opportunities are out there. If it’s new contacts you need, get to some networking events and brush up your LinkedIn profile. If you’re ready to get out on the road, review your literature and make sure you have the materials you need to show just how great your business can be. Or if you want more online enquiries, make sure you’ve got a good website and ongoing SEO plan in place.