While the holiday season is always a busy time for marketers, the new year brings with it a new set of challenges and opportunities. With the new year upon us, brands are preparing to release new products and capitalize on the latest trends. Marketers will also be looking to make their marketing dollars go further and leverage the most effective channels to engage with target audiences. But how can marketers ensure they're putting their efforts to best use?
This past year, we’ve seen some great campaigns from major brands that used the New Year as a marketing strategy to give their business a fresh start. Some of these campaigns were simple reminder ads about how great their product is, while others were flashy and creative. Whatever the case may have been, it seems that most businesses are using the idea of a new year to promote their products and services. Whether you’re looking to boost sales, increase customer engagement or simply prepare for 2022, there are a number of important tasks that should be on your marketing agenda—and here are three.
First, you should review the year.
If you are looking for a way to ensure that 2022 is your most successful year yet, then it’s time to take a look at how you marketed your brand in 2021. Are you using the same strategies and tactics that worked well last year? Are you implementing new strategies and tactics that will work well in 2022? Or are you doing things completely different? We suggest that your team takes the time to reflect on the past year, especially with regards to what didn't work out as planned. This can be an opportunity to reevaluate the business and truly understand the strengths and weaknesses of your business – both internally and externally.
Another thing to keep in mind is that while you may want to try and appeal to a wide audience, it’s important that your New Year’s marketing campaign be tailored to your specific business. If you sell burgers, for example, then your marketing campaign should focus on the “newness” of your burger offerings for 2022. The key to a successful New Year’s marketing campaign is to make sure that it’s accurate and relevant to your customers. While you may want to try and appeal to a wide audience, it’s important that your New Year’s marketing campaign be tailored to your specific business.
Next, determine your goals for 2022.
Setting goals is a good thing, but they need to be good goals. Goals are essential to business growth, and without them your business will not grow to its full potential. For this reason, every year you should set a new goal that addresses a problem or issue within your business. This year’s goal should always be related back to this year’s objectives and the overall long-term strategy for the company’s growth and development.
In order to create a productive marketing plan for the New Year, it’s always a good idea to set realistic goals. Before you begin, take some time to brainstorm a list of goals that you’d like to accomplish. Are you looking to increase sales? Increase brand awareness? Create a new product or service? Or do you want to develop your team members’ skills and capabilities in the New Year? It’s important to be realistic in setting goals, so make sure they are achievable and that you have a plan of action for each one. However, you need to take also into consideration the things that could go wrong so you can adjust, adapt and find a way to still meet all of your goals.
Finally, plan a calendar for 2022.
You have created a content plan for 2021, now what? The next step is to fill up your content calendar for 2022. This may seem like a daunting task, but since you have already completed the first step of creating a strategy, the hard part is already over. You now know what you need to create and when you need it. It is time to fill in the blanks with your content for 2022. To fill the content calendar for 2022, start with a list of keywords and topics you want to cover in the year ahead. Next, set a schedule for publishing these blog posts. While it's best to publish content consistently on a daily or weekly basis, it's unrealistic to expect you'll be able to do so. Choose a realistic goal and create a schedule that works for you.
You will also want to make a list of any upcoming events you’re attending in 2022. This can include trade shows, conferences, or seminars. Make sure you are taking advantage of the opportunity to collect business cards from attendees and give them information about your business upon their arrival. If you have time to plan ahead, consider putting together some custom swag for your events, such as branded pens or t-shirts. It’s a great way to spark interest in your brand and give people a reason to remember it.
With the year coming to a close, we sincerely hope this is the beginning of a prosperous new year for you and your business. A lot can happen in 365 days, these tips can set your business up for a successful 2022.