Fall is the time of year when businesses start carving out time to begin marketing planning for the new year ahead. But, what if the new ideas and strategies you’re considering next year don’t work? What if the market changes or potential customers don’t respond to your ad campaign like you think they will? What if you get the worst booth at the trade show and don’t generate any leads? Or, as we learned in 2020…what if a pandemic appears out of nowhere with lasting social and economic effects on our world?
No business leader or marketing manager can predict exactly how things will turn out in the new year ahead. That’s why allowing space to pivot your tactics without abandoning your entire strategy is the most important part of any marketing plan.
How to Effectively Incorporate Pre-Planned Adjustments into Your Marketing Plan
How do you proactively plan on making adjustments to your yearly marketing plan as you go? Here are a few principles to keep in mind that will help you develop the most effective marketing plan for next year:
- Marketing trends and tactics will evolve throughout the year. Plans are an essential starting point, but you don’t know all of the external factors that will arise during the year. If there’s one thing we know about marketing, it’s that it will evolve. Being able to respond, react, and adjust your marketing plan as things evolve will ensure you’re not investing in outdated marketing tactics.
- Knowing that adjustments will be made empowers you to objectively evaluate what’s working and what’s not. Honestly, it’s difficult to adjust your marketing plan after you invest so much time and energy creating it. Yet your ability to recognize, accept, and act on results is critical. This is why it’s essential to develop a data-driven culture that helps grow your business.
- Proactively planning to make adjustments doesn’t mean you should avoid planning. Please don’t take this as an excuse to ignore planning altogether and go full-blown growth hacker. Pivoting your marketing plan is all about adjustments. In the absence of an overarching strategy, it’s just undisciplined guessing. Recognize that your marketing might not be the reason why you’re not reaching people. It’s important to have a comprehensive strategy you can tweak along the way. Without it, you’re simply reinventing the wheel every month.
There’s a lot that goes into planning an entire year’s worth of marketing strategy. If you’re looking for fresh ideas, or not sure where to start, our team at Green Apple is here to help. Whether you’re looking for a full-blown marketing strategy or hoping to boost morale with a team Lunch & Learn, our one-day strategy sessions are intentionally designed to meet your biggest need.
