As the old saying goes, failure to prepare is the first step towards failure. Though the very nature of digital marketing and the gig economy means that professionals need to be reactive and adaptable, spending time planning and preparing for the year head is an absolute essential if you want to make sure you have a successful 2020.
1. Take stock of your previous campaigns
Look at which elements worked, and which didn’t. Don’t just focus on analytics and sales figures, you’ll need to go a little deeper and pay attention to things like use of language and imagery as well logistical elements such as scheduling, frequency of posting and cost. Review your campaigns objectively and be your own worst critic. This is a painful experience, but it does teach you a lot about where you need to improve. It also means that when you do celebrate success, you aren’t just patting yourself on the back for no reason.
2. Identify your target audience for the year ahead
Think about who you want to reach out to this coming year. Even if you are trying to cast a wide net and connect with everybody in a certain industry, you’ll need to think about who these people are and what makes them tick. Doing this takes time and research.
3. Review difficult periods and make contingency plans
During a crisis, it’s difficult to see any positives, however, if you can look at your mistakes and failures objectively, this can help you to come up with a contingency plan to help combat similar situations in the future. Extra staff during busy periods, alternate working hours and implementing safeguarding measures such as back up distributors, hosting services or suppliers are just a few examples.
4. Identify training needs
Whether you’re a sole trader or part of a larger organisation, staying on top of your training needs is essential. This could be as simple as learning to use a new workflow management app or it could involve a specific qualification such as customer service, coding or design. Try to factor this across the course of the coming year. If you need to close gaps in your knowledge, take advantage of the multitude of free training courses that are available online. Udemy and other providers offer a great range of introductory courses that can give you the basics in everything from design through to customer service.
5. Ensure all software is updated
This is something people forget and though watching progress bars when you’re supposed to be working can be extremely frustrating, software updates are an essential part of keeping your business healthy. Failure to do this can lead to viruses, malware and attacks from hackers. Always update your software.
6. Consider expenses in advance
All businesses will incur expenses, whether it’s transport costs, materials, labour or equipment. Though you will need estimate, try to establish how much your coming campaigns will potentially cost the business so you can budget accordingly. This can be as simple as checking out the prices of hosting providers, video production or printing services way before you actually need to use them.
7. Tax
Whether you are based in the UK, Europe or the USA, paying tax is an inevitability. Many digital marketing professionals are self-employed, and this time of year is when they start thinking about completing tax returns to ensure they don’t incur penalties or end up missing out on vital expenses claims. This is never an especially enjoyable job, but it makes sense to deal with it while you are preparing for the year ahead, rather than trying to firefight the inevitable problems not doing so will cause.
8. Review the year’s marketing trends
Look at what techniques people in your industry have been using and see if you can learn anything from this. Video marketing and live chat have been the focus of 2019, but every year reveals new trends, depending on things like development in technology, shift in public opinion and even things like the state of global economy. Look at what your competitors are doing but also research outside of your own industry, too. Sometimes trends that are born in unrelated sectors can teach us a lot. For example, the streaming and subscription model that content providers use has now begin to permeate into other industries.
9. Identify your best clients
Some clients are an absolute joy to work with and will inspire creativity and positivity every time you interact. Others can be a little different. Focusing on the clients who appreciate and understand what you do means you can establish a network of people who will help your business grow. To do this, reflect on your previous interactions and any projects you have already completed together. If there are any unnecessary delays, poor communication or evidence that someone is trying to get more from you than you are willing to deliver for the price you have agreed on, be wary. We can’t simply drop clients we don’t like working with straight away, but after establishing a network of people who we feel are reliable and trustworthy, this becomes much easier to do.
10. Set realistic targets
If you’ve overreached or been a little too conservative in previous years, this is most likely down to setting unrealistic targets. Be aware of your limitations but also consider what you are truly capable of. Think about how much time you have, your skill level and your ability to complete tasks to a deadline. So much of digital marketing is based on convincing a client that you can do what they need, however many companies still promise way more than they can deliver. Assess how much work you can realistically produce in your working day and do the same thing for any of your staff. Though you may like to think people can work relentlessly and remain productive, we know this isn’t the case.
