If you're anything like me, you're still recovering from a very business holiday season, and slowly but surely getting back into full-time work mode after taking time off to spend with your friends and family over the past few weeks. If this describes you, then welcome back to reality! It's really not so bad once you get back into the flow of your normal business routine. Or so I remind myself...
During the initial week of January, I always like to spend the first few days totally closing out the previous year (e.g., filing, completing year-end accounting, preparing financial statements, etc.), and then devoting significant time to finalizing all business plans (i.e., finance, operations, marketing, etc.) for the next 12-month period. As part of this process, I carefully review the plans I have already written, and then modify them accordingly based on specific goals and objectives I want to achieve, specific trends I have identified, and market conditions that I know will impact my company, positive or negatively. Most importantly, I evaluate what worked, and what didn't, in the previous year...across all business functions, including marketing.
And that brings me to the main point of this post. As I've mentioned before in this forum, many business owners simply ignore the strategic planning process altogether, and that's a HUGE mistake on many levels. An even larger error in judgment is to embark on a marketing effort, regardless of its size, without having a detailed marketing plan in place. I see it way too often in the SMB sector, and this approach (or lack thereof!) almost never works out to the company's advantage.
Now that it's 2010, do yourself two favors: 1.) Please don't ignore the strategic planning process; your business will thank you in the end!; and 2.) If you intend to market your products or services at all this year, then take some time to develop a comprehensive marketing plan so there is a concrete rationale and approach in place to guide your efforts as you move forward.
It's a new year, and that means you should have a new marketing plan in hand to assist you. Times change, people change, businesses change, and industry conditions change. All of your plans should reflect these shifts, but your marketing plan will BEST outline how you continue to reach and interact with your core customers as these dynamics remain fluid.
During the initial week of January, I always like to spend the first few days totally closing out the previous year (e.g., filing, completing year-end accounting, preparing financial statements, etc.), and then devoting significant time to finalizing all business plans (i.e., finance, operations, marketing, etc.) for the next 12-month period. As part of this process, I carefully review the plans I have already written, and then modify them accordingly based on specific goals and objectives I want to achieve, specific trends I have identified, and market conditions that I know will impact my company, positive or negatively. Most importantly, I evaluate what worked, and what didn't, in the previous year...across all business functions, including marketing.
And that brings me to the main point of this post. As I've mentioned before in this forum, many business owners simply ignore the strategic planning process altogether, and that's a HUGE mistake on many levels. An even larger error in judgment is to embark on a marketing effort, regardless of its size, without having a detailed marketing plan in place. I see it way too often in the SMB sector, and this approach (or lack thereof!) almost never works out to the company's advantage.
Now that it's 2010, do yourself two favors: 1.) Please don't ignore the strategic planning process; your business will thank you in the end!; and 2.) If you intend to market your products or services at all this year, then take some time to develop a comprehensive marketing plan so there is a concrete rationale and approach in place to guide your efforts as you move forward.
It's a new year, and that means you should have a new marketing plan in hand to assist you. Times change, people change, businesses change, and industry conditions change. All of your plans should reflect these shifts, but your marketing plan will BEST outline how you continue to reach and interact with your core customers as these dynamics remain fluid.
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