The calendar has seemed a little deceptive this year; it sometimes seems like just a few weeks ago, it was March. Weren’t we just wondering if they were going to launch fireworks for the Fourth of July? Somehow, time’s been rushing by and moving at a crawl.
Now, we’re counting down the days to January. We’re all hoping that the new year brings happier, healthier tidings and washes away the emotional dregs of this one like a bad dream.
But as we cross our fingers for that brighter future blinking into place as soon as the ball drops, we also have to remember that we still have several weeks left of 2020. And it’s important to make the most of that time when it comes to our business endeavors, because this crazy year has certainly stolen enough time and progress (and profit) from us already.
Of course, you might not be ready to launch a new product, design a new logo, or buy up a new batch of ad space. But there are a few easy, affordable (if not free!) things you can do right now to have a big impact on the year ahead—while also potentially bringing in some extra cash as you go…
Here’s how to make the most of the time you have left this year:
1) Evaluate your progress to date. Did you feel like the year was as successful as it could have been? Thanks to the pandemic, this is going to be difficult for most companies to answer. But how you responded to the pandemic is a big part of the equation, too. Note how agile you were in changing your plans, and where you’d like to be more modern and fast-moving in the future. Pandemic aside, were you on track to meet your targets for Q1?
2) Assess your tracking and KPIs. Answering the first question is a little easier if you have the right tools. First you want to take this time to audit your process of evaluating performance. Do you regularly have a team go through your numbers and share reports about what worked and what didn’t? Second: Are you looking at the right numbers? Sometimes, for example, you’re measuring dollars per head when you should be tracking headcount. Maybe a higher headcount is going to really correlate with higher dollar spend overall, and you should be looking at getting people in the door, not just getting the people who are already inside to spend more money.
3) Identify “soft goals” based on YTD. You might already have some goals worked out for next year, or you might still be working on some targets. But if you work through both of the previous steps, you’re likely going to come across at least a few pain points that might fall outside of the given threshold for your business plan or marketing strategy. Think outside the box and dream up a few changes you’d like to see by one year from now, whether it’s a formal annual audit or a sense of overall satisfaction with your marketing results by mid-November.
Last but not least, you can start thinking about how to ensure that next year’s marketing plan truly spans the full calendar to milk maximum revenue from Q1-Q4.
Mad 4 Marketing can help you come up with a strategy that realistically incorporates your team’s time, tools, and budget from January through December, then shows you how to track progress from month to month.
If this sounds like the way you want to kick off a successful (and profitable) 2021, Contact Us.