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Make a List. Check it Twice.

Make a List.  Check it Twice.

Your end of year marketing checklist.

It’s December and you’re busy with your end of year planning, holiday staff parties and buttoning up your books.  Figuring out who’s been naughty.  Who’s been nice.  But while you’re scurrying around like the Grinch on Christmas morning, make sure you set aside a few hours to review your marketing for the past year.

Pull out your 2018 marketing plan. 

A solid marketing plan will include your business goals, the items and actions needed to achieve your goals, a calendar and a budget.  Review your 2018 plan.

Did you cross off all the marketing initiatives on your list?

Did you stay within budget?

Did you achieve your goals, or at least make progress toward them?

Did you set new goals mid-year that should be included in next year’s plan?

No plan is perfect, and some initiatives will produce better results than others.  Consider what you learned this year when you set your goals and create your plan for 2019.

Set a baseline

Look at the data you’ve collected throughout the year.  Pull together your call tracking reports and see how many leads you received from your efforts.  How many people opened your emails?  How many calls did you get from that ductless promotion?  Review the analytics on your website.  Did you see an increase in your web visitors?  Did those visits convert to phone calls?

Set a baseline for yourself on all of your marketing initiatives and work towards improving upon your results.

Check your co-op or accrual balance

I’ll say it again for the bazillionth time: it’s not ideal to rush to use your co-op in December!!  But if you’re faced with a use-it-or-lose-it situation, you’ve got no choice.  Use it wisely on items that will bring you leads – like a new van wrap design, or lawn signs, or a new banner for a home show.  Those are items that can be turned around quickly and will bring you leads all throughout the year, while supporting your company brand.  Ordering pens and hats and stress balls with your logo on them isn’t the best use of your co-op.

Calculate your CPL (cost per lead)

Cost per lead is important because it helps you to figure out how to increase your sales.  Divide the total advertising dollars you spent on each marketing tool (postcards or newspaper ads or online marketing, etc.) by the number of leads that came in from that marketing tool.  (Note: Call tracking phone numbers help you to track this accurately!)  The result is your cost per lead.

Not sure how to calculate your CPL, learn more here.

Create a marketing plan for 2019

You have a baseline, data, goals and a plan for increasing business.  Now, pull it all together into your marketing plan for 2019.

An actionable marketing plan, based on solid data and results, will provide you with quality leads and increased sales.  And that’s sure to make you jolly!

Need help?  We love to talk shop!

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