New Year, New Decade, New Marketing Plan.

The start of a new year is often bombarded with a multitude of cliches - “New Year, New You”, “This is Your Year”, “Start Fresh in the New Year”, etc. It gets a little redundant after a while, but the start of new decade is something significant to consider.

With marketing technology advancing at a rapid page and consumer demographics quickly morphing into a new era, 2020 marks an excellent opportunity to set some (achievable) goals for marketing your business. Undoubtedly, you’ve already made your list of resolutions, business or not, but we’re recommending adding a few of these suggestions (if they’re not already there).

20 Marketing Resolutions for 2020

1 | Stop arbitrarily boosting posts just because Facebook tells you to.

You don't let anyone else tell you how to run your business, why should the faceless Facebook admins be any different? Step back and review your advertising budget and create a plan around social advertising.

2 | Focus on consistency but not duplicity throughout social media platforms

It’s important to make sure your message is consistent through LinkedIn, Facebook etc. It’s easy to get in the habit of posting the same things on all platforms, however if you can create unique and relatable content that is being crafted by you yourself, your posts will stand out among the large numbers of static content.

3 | Post better quality social posts over quantity

Excessive non-relatable posts will drown you out amongst every other post on your customer’s feed. Really invest time into each post, even if that means there are less.

4 | Post on your Google Page

Update your company’s information on your Google listing. Make sure your information is up to date and add a photo or event. It will allow your company to appear higher on Google Search and let customers know more about your company before clicking on your website.

5 | Read a business book

Whether it be a physical book or an audio-book on Audible, take the time to learn a new business practice. The time you spend on your commute to work or maybe right before bed can be better spent on personal development.

6 | Teach yourself a new marketing skill

This can be as simple as going onto YouTube and watching presentations on the 4P’s of marketing (product, price, placement, promotion) or tuning into Moz’s Whiteboard Friday’s for intuitive marketing lessons. Google has a slew of free online classes that can teach you Analytics, Google AdWords etc.

7 | Join a networking group

Groups such as BNI or Entrepreneur Associations bring together like-minded people who are willing to help each other, increase customers and give solid business advice.

8 | Do something to give back to the community

Whether it be volunteering at a food bank with your employees once a month or sponsoring a youth sports team, it will allow you to grow with your employees and do something better in the world.

9 | Start a Weekly or Monthly Newsletter

Let your customers know what’s going on at your company and potential upcoming sales. This can be as simple as mentioning the new puppy an employee got or bringing to light a customer and their testimonial of your product/service.

10 | Portray your customer’s story with them as the hero

Tell the story of how your service has allowed them to increase business and improve upon themselves

11 | Tell a better story of your customer’s journey

Outline their original problem (why they sought you), what inspired them to get help, what caused them to make a purchase and why they stayed with you.

12 | Initiate ‘One more call’

Have all team members make one more phone call before they leave at the end of the day. This can translate to one more email sent or one more customer helped.

13 | Listen to your customer’s needs, even if they don’t line up with current practices

What is the best way to reach your customers? For the millennial crowd you want to be more available online and answer emails. For the baby boomers you may want to have more print media and fliers available as well as answering the phone or meeting in person.

14 | Get your name out there

Join a listing database (or two or three). This can help you become more visible to different communities in your surrounding area.

15 | Get your logo noticed

Make sure your company logo is easy to understand and visible. This means making sure it's on business cards, your website, clothing worn by employees, collaborative events and networking events.

16 | Don’t invest time into non-reputable apps

This can include apps like TikTok - the audience that uses the app are under 18 and they really don’t know what they want. Spread your time evenly among powerful apps like Facebook and Instagram. You never know when an app can suddenly dissolve into nothing such as MySpace so make sure not to invest all your time in one particular platform.

17 | Automate your processes if you can

Save yourself time and do things automatically - things such as email responding, social media posts and invoice reminders. There are many free programs out there that can save you 15-30 minutes a day just by automating your process.

18 | Take on small problems like you would big problems

Smaller problems can morph into big problems overnight - pay attention to the little things even if they don’t seem vital at first glance. If you have an extra minute, try to be Johnny on the spot and fix it as you notice it.

19 | Be more seasonally inclined

Know your busy season. Prepare your workforce and your marketing strategies to be ready to take on the challenges faced with busy times.

20 | Stay up to date with weekly marketing newsletters

Subscribe to marketing newsletters such as Daily Carnage. It's free and gives insight to trends and news going on around the world. It also explains marketing techniques in a simple way.

Feeling overwhelmed yet? Fear not! Many of these resolutions are not as complicated as they seem. And, hiring Marketing Juice means you can simply shift them off your plate and onto ours ;).

If you are serious about stepping up your marketing game this year, Marketing Juice is ready for the challenge. Head over to our contact page to get in touch!