Market Smart in 2012
Inspire your marketing month by month with these 12 tactics
Front Page | January 2012
Looking to make all the right moves with your marketing in 2012? We offer up a year’s worth of inspiration in this month-by-month look at ideas to add to your marketing mix.
JAN Take a look at your industry and make a calendar of the competitions, tradeshows and awards you may want to participate in for the year. Make your decisions now so you have the most time possible to execute. Make sure your spreadsheet lists the fees and deadlines so you can accurately budget and tackle all you need to do to be successful.
FEB If you haven’t taken a hard look at your marketing tactics and collateral pieces in awhile, spend the first part of the month doing just that. Are they still on track? Do they still make sense? Ask yourself those tough questions and then assess what needs to adjust to be successful by end of year. In the second part of the month, identify one or two areas to improve on this year and plan out what you need to do to define success.
MAR Get smart – select a marketing book, subscribe to a marketing blog or take a local business course to flex your marketing muscle. It may be time to start an in-house business or marketing library for you and your team to dive into on a monthly basis. Reading always leads to good places. Always.
APR Stay focused and practice saying no. I know the drill … you’ve got Q1 behind you, you’re feeling good about things and you’re ready to tackle more. Don’t do it. Stay on track, make the good get better and stay focused on the plan you started. If you find yourself in an extra hard spot for saying no, simply say this wasn’t in your marketing strategy and you’ll keep it in mind for next year. People will respect you for it.
MAY Get out and meet new people — set a goal for at least five (one per week). No matter your industry or role, you can always benefit from getting outside of your comfort zone and meeting new people. Share ideas, what you’re working on and how you expect the later part of your year to roll.
JUN Keeping in your rhythm of May, go out to lunch. I’m a firm believer in getting out to lunch with others often. Sitting at your desk and packing your lunch may be productive and cheap, but it doesn’t foster a boost to your creativity or any enhancements to your work relationships. Identify at least three people who will either inspire you or further your career and ask them to lunch.
JUL Take a field trip. No matter where you live, this has to be a good time to take a tour of inspiration at your local museum or park. Bring your kids, your dogs or your friends along too! Taking a break from your work actually makes you better at work. I have no idea who says this or who to credit, but I know from experience that it’s true.
AUG Get focused on your writing. Take the last seven months’ worth of analytics from your blog and website and analyze your best content pieces. Take the time to build on five of your top articles and turn them into valuable guides you can use for call-to-actions and lead-building tactics.
SEP Host a client event. We have hosted a few events including last year’s inaugural Square Dance, where we invited clients and key contacts to come and network. They each received a dance card for who to meet and things to talk about. Get your clients together and help them be successful through each other.
OCT It’s time to evaluate your year so far. What’s worked well for you, what bombed and what were you too afraid to try? Take a look at new marketing ideas and trends and identify two that make sense for you to incorporate in 2013.
NOV Create a holiday greeting of some sort. It doesn’t have to be a card, it doesn’t have to be fancy, but it does have to be relevant and smart for your audience. One of our clients is building its brand each holiday season through a creative, fun card that’s unique for its industry. Finding a way to differentiate your company around the holidays can make a big impact.
DEC Write next year’s marketing plan, reflect on your big successes in 2011 and write out your 2013 goals. Set aside two days to do this: one in the first part of the year to put all your thoughts down and then a second day to tone it down and get specific. Enjoy your holidays knowing you’ve created a successful year and are ready to tackle what’s next. - Raquel Richardson, Principal
