Do you know that 63% of businesses do not have a documented content marketing strategy?
A lot of businesses are investing a lot in paid, owned, and earned digital media, without a well-planned approach.
This is 2022 and the right time for you to get your marketing strategy right. It could take a lot of work but in the end, you’ll be well on your way to reaping the rewards.
But first, you need to answer the following questions;
1. How Much Did Your Company Grow Last Year?
2. What Marketing Channels Drove the Most Value Last Year?
3. What is Your Growth Timeline?
4. How Has Your Competitive Landscape Changed?
5. Is Your Market Saturated?
6. What Did Customer Feedback Look Like Over the Past Year?
Have you answered these questions? Now let’s plan your marketing strategy for 2022!
Great customer experience drives repeat and referral business. Most successful businesses make most of their revenue from good customer experience which later leads to repeat patronage and also referrals. Marketing will have an uphill battle ahead of it unless you put your target customer first.
Planning can sometimes seem like a daunting task, especially when you have time-sensitive priorities or just need an end-of-year break. But being intentional with your planning now will save you stress and time in the long run. A plan is not the end goal, it’s the process of planning that is worth its weight in likes.
Your marketing strategy should function as a blueprint for your decisions in 2022. As a result, each choice you make for your 2022 campaigns should support the concepts and the channels they will be executed in, and thus, laid out clearly in your strategy.
Here are five steps that will help you when planning your marketing for 2022.
1. Look Behind to Look Ahead: The first step to planning your 2022 strategy is to step back and evaluate what worked and what didn’t in the year 2021. You will do your company and your pocket a lot of good if you sit back and retrace your steps last year, in other to be able to figure out what worked best and what didn’t. Ask questions like; Am I happy with where my sales are at? Did I meet my 2021 goals? What about my customers, do I have a good idea of who they are and where they are? Did my creative campaigns deliver the ROI I hoped? This will only not keep you in check, but also put you on the right track in making your 2022 marketing strategy.
2. Be a Goal Getter: Once you have taken time to reflect on your rights and wrongs from 2021, you’ll want to start establishing some measurable goals. Taking from what you’ve learned from your 2021 evaluation, start planning your 2022 marketing strategy by deciding what you want to achieve this year. For example, what are your top three to five marketing-focused goals, and what are the KPIs or indicators of success that you are or will be measuring to ensure you’re on track to hit them this year. Make sure your goals are specific and actionable. Your goals are supposed to guide you throughout the year. Even set specific deadlines and calendar metrics reviews to hold yourself accountable.
3. What’s in your budget: The word “budget” alone might send shivers down your spine, which is totally understandable. The money conversation is often uncomfortable, but 100% necessary. You don’t have to be afraid, the following tips will guide you through the “money” aspect;
– Make sure you define all potential channels E.g. software, new personnel, advertising, content creation, etc.
– Focus on channels that align with your marketing goals.
– Be mindful of potential hidden costs. E.g. consumer insights research
– Spend money where your customers are. This might take some time, especially at the beginning, but using KPIs will help you determine your target audience.
– Don’t be afraid to change course. If something is not working the way you want or need it to, stop paying for it.
– Do not be afraid to seek help. Make sure your team is aware of your budget by scheduling budget check-ins each quarter, or whenever you feel it’s necessary.
4. Target Isn’t Just a Store: Marketing efforts are worth nothing without a well-established audience. Consumer habits and behavior have shifted in almost every industry in the past few years. Now is the perfect time to research if your historical target market is still your current “right” audience. It may be worth sending surveys or setting up a focus group to see what has changed. This can especially help when contemplating line extensions, price increases or reductions, or new campaigns or channels. The only way to know if it’s right is to ask and your existing audience always knows what’s up.
5. Flip Through Your Channel Guide: Using the specific metrics from your 2021 campaigns, make a data-based determination about whether the channel strategies worked. Then, honestly assess market trends, industry-specific projections, and your knowledge of your audience and build out a 30-, 60-, and 90-day tactical plan. Whether you’re using complex software or a simple spreadsheet, this is where accountability for 2022 will come from. Know that this, like any other plan, acts as a hypothesis and be open to evolving it accordingly.
At the end of the day, nothing is set in stone. If you start executing on your hypothesized strategy and you don’t like the outcome, change it. Rework your goals, budget, target market, channels, and deliverables to help you achieve the desired outcome.
Growth is the only thing to determine how well a company is functioning. It is important to set the right mind, standard, and goals in planning your marketing strategy in other to get the best out of it.
