The New Year is a great time for both personal and business reflection. We hope you are taking time to reflect on the past 12 months and also making a plan for a successful year ahead.

In your reflection process, be diligent. Don’t just be happy with ‘status quo’. Even if you can’t accomplish everything this year, be honest about the results you would like to see and set a plan in motion.

5 suggestions for reflecting on your business marketing (in order)

1. Goals – Start the New Year by taking some time to identify your business resolutions or goals and be sure you clearly outline what you would like to accomplish.
2. Mission – Does your general mission statement still reflect your goals and direction? Do you have mission statements specific to your blog, newsletter, and social accounts?
3. Target – Do you have a clearly defined target audience? Do you know who your ideal customer is? Do you focus on your target?
4. Brand – Does your brand properly reflect your company and your mission? Does it speak to your target audience?
5. Website – When was the last time you went through your website, page-by-page, to make sure all the content is relevant, current, and consistent? No time like the present.
6. Print – What about your business cards, brochures, postcards, and other printed material? Does all of your printed material appear up-to-date and cohesive with your digital image?

3 tips to keep your marketing focused; on track, on target, and organized in the New Year:

1. Editorial Calendar –Create a 52 week calendar that outlines the content you will focus on for the entire year. This can include blog posts, social media updates, podcasts, videos, Newsletters, trainings, reports, and more.
2. Event Calendar – Create a calendar of events that you plan to attend. This may include regular networking events, conferences, trainings, workshops, etc… Having a clear picture of your events will help you prioritize and budget to ensure you make the most of each event.
3. Budget – It is important to understand what you have and where it comes from before you can determine how to get more and where to focus. Be sure you know what your most profitable activities are and your spending habits are.

Feel free to share your reflections, plans, and questions.

We wish you a very healthy, happy, successful, and productive New Year!