Create Plans For Your Marketing in 2021
How to Prepare for the Expected and Unexpected
2020 has taught us many things, and one of them is that you can’t plan for everything. Unexpected events and circumstances will pop up and force you to pivot and adjust.
We know things won’t always go as planned, but that doesn’t mean we should throw planning out the window. In fact, it shows why planning can be so helpful, especially when it comes to making plans for your marketing.
Planning is a way to get focused and organized. It allows you to look ahead and set goals around what you know and think will happen and allocate the resources needed to execute your plans. Planning can even allow you to be better prepared for the unknown.
Don’t let this year trick you into thinking that there is no point in creating plans for your marketing. Instead, figure out what you can plan for and what you can’t, and expect both.
Step 1. Know What You Can Plan For
Start by thinking about what you need for your marketing. Consider the factors you can plan around. Create an outline that will act as your plan’s foundation, and then make adjustments as things change.
Industry Seasonality & Holidays
Every year, you can get a calendar and see when all of the major national holidays are going to take place. And for your specific industry or business, milestones, events, and customer engagement seasonality. These dates aren’t going to change, so you can create plans around each of these major holidays and milestones. Use them to plan for:
Seasonal media buys and digital advertising campaigns
Social media posts and content creation (tip: using trending hashtags gets your profiles more exposure)
Special deals and product promotions
Don’t limit your holiday planning to major national celebrations. Consider the long list of light-hearted social media holidays, like National Burger Day or National Kitten Day, and awareness days and months, like Black History Month, to decide if your brand should make plans around those holidays as well.
Launches
If your brand has new products, services, or features coming up, create a plan around those launch dates. Work with your product team to identify key dates leading up to the launch so you can create marketing initiatives that will build enthusiasm and interest in the new offering.
Keep in mind that launches can often get derailed or extended, so you also need to create a plan for adjustments. Plan far enough ahead that you’ll be ready if everything goes as planned, but don’t be surprised if plans are pushed back.
Business Goals
Launches are one part of your business plan. Take time to think about the other goals laid out for your organization. For example - the number of new customers, client retention goals, a company acquisition, rebranding, or a site redesign. Consider short-term and long-term goals and the KPIs and deadlines attached to them. Create a plan for the time leading up to the deadlines. Decide what you will need to do to help you reach those goals.
Who is your audience segment for each and what marketing tactics and budget do you need to reach the goals?
What resources will you need to help reach those goals?
Are the time frames and metrics reasonable?
Related: 5 Steps to Level Up Your Marketing Strategy
Consistent Communication
Every brand should regularly communicate with their customers. Pick a cadence for how often you would like to reach your customers (weekly, monthly, bi-monthly, etc.) and create an editorial calendar that plans for your communication efforts. Consider how often you want to reach customers that complement direct sales efforts via:
Print Catalogs / Mailers
Videos
Podcasts
Look at your list of holidays, launches, and business goals to provide inspiration for content on your calendar.
Step 2. Know What You Can’t Plan For
Once you make plans based on what you know you can expect, take some time to plan for what you can’t expect.
News About Your Brand
During the year, both good and bad news will likely happen at your organization. You may win an award or bring on a new CEO, or you may need to downsize or manage a PR crisis. Each event means that you will need to pivot your marketing plans in some way. You may need to send additional communication, change the context of content, or otherwise adjust the plans you thought were set in stone.
Culture Shifts / Major Events
Just as news can happen at your organization, it can also happen to your local community, the nation, or even the world. As both COVID-19 and the Black Lives Matter movement taught us, there are events that force brands to completely change their approach to marketing. What was relevant before the event or shift can quickly feel out-of-touch. Be prepared to revisit the upcoming plans you have, and adjust or pause those plans to make your brand more in tune with national conversations and needs.
Market Shifts
Market shifts can also cause you to re-evaluate and re-adjust. If a new product enters the market, consumer habits change, new competitors enter your market, or outside factors impact parts of your business (such as wholesale price changes or tax and tariffs changes), you will need to rethink your approach and make changes to existing marketing plans.
Related: How to Plan For and Manage Major Marketing Pivots
New Marketing Platforms
Changes in marketing technology are constant. You may base your yearly marketing plan around specific platforms, but newly introduced marketing platforms may force you to change. Last year, brands probably weren’t thinking about a TikTok marketing strategy. But as the platform gained popularity, many brands had to adjust their strategy to include this new social network.
The Unknown
You can’t plan for everything. Things will happen that you never expected. But, while you can’t plan the exact steps to take for every situation, you can make a framework for what you need to do in the event of an unknown disruption. Assign responsibility to one person who can quickly pause your current marketing plan and gather your team to review the change and determine how to take the next best steps.
Step 3. Schedule Times to Make Plans
Once you know what to plan for (what you can expect and what you can’t), set dates to make both short and long term plans. Schedule sessions to meet with your team, look forward, and plan for what you can every:
30-90 Days
Quarter
Year
Also, remember that you may need to schedule an emergency planning meeting in the event that something unexpected pops up.
Make Plans for Your Marketing Today
Plans for your marketing strategy are going to change, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t have them. A marketing plan is essential for keeping your brand positioning, messaging, and team on track. Not having one will make it difficult to identify opportunities, improve, grow, and reach your goals.
If you are going through the motions without a set marketing strategy, SpotOn Digital is here to help. Contact us today to see how we can help you build a flexible yet powerful marketing plan based on a strategy that works for your unique brand, customers, and offerings.