At the start of a new year, you may be bombarded with advertisements promoting products and services promising a “new you” while feeling pressured to make lifestyle changes that may not be the right choice for you.
The same applies to developing a marketing plan. Every year there is an urge to aim for bigger and better things, but this can lead you down the wrong path and investing your resources in the wrong areas.
Here are some potential pitfalls when planning for next year.
Spreading yourself too much
You may return to the office with good ideas in mind, but you need to make choices to avoid burnout and not reaching your full potential.
Look back at what worked in the past and focus on optimizing it first before moving on to new things you haven't tried before.
The same goes for managing your marketing budget. If you know your meta ads are performing well, consider increasing your meta ad budget before investing heavily in a new platform with which you have no prior knowledge.
It's easy to be tempted to jump on new trends or try the latest technology to stay ahead of the curve, but it can distract you from what's really important. Set a time limit that you can realistically spend exploring new avenues without affecting your core activities.
go with your gut
There's always an element of guesswork in any decision you make, but never make decisions blindly.
Data should form the backbone of much of the decision-making process. Thoroughly demonstrate the why behind every part of your strategy, including creating new landing pages, expanding paid search to reach new audiences, deciding which events your brand will participate in, and choosing which influencers to partner with. That is important. It's not about making a hypothesis, it's about research.
shake things up for that
Hard work and backtracking rarely pay off when it comes to marketing planning. When it comes to big projects like rebranding or redesigning his website, you should always proceed with caution.
Of course, sometimes a refresh is needed. Or maybe there was an acquisition or repositioning, where a complete rebrand makes sense as the brand evolves over time.
However, embarking on such a large project should not be treated as a frivolous decision to do something “big”.
Instead, focus on testing and adjusting. If you're overhauling your website, roll out small changes first, preferably after working with a conversion rate optimization or user experience expert, and don't just guess what your customers want. I'll make it. This applies to functionality, content, and design.
If a rebrand is being considered, get feedback from current and prospective customers. Find out what they like and dislike about your current brand. Before settling on one brand, be sure to research whether other brands share the same or similar name. Also, some words may have completely different meanings in other languages, so don't just consider the main jurisdiction in which you will be doing business. Also, secure your domain name and social profiles early on once you reach your decision. There's no point in starting a rebrand if you can't secure the necessary assets.
In most cases, it's best to stick with what you know works. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.
