No, that’s not a typo. You need to plan (and act) now to hit your 2024 marketing goals.
If we had only implemented [insert marketing activity] earlier, our results would have been better.
It can take a year or more for many marketing and business development efforts to pay off. We often don’t have the patience, so we focus on short-term tactics and are disappointed in the longer-term results.
Let’s change that behavior. You’ll see the positive impact when you look at results a year from now.
Here are some ideas that can work together over a year to generate even greater rewards:
- Networking. Set a goal of meeting one new business contact each week. You’ll smile as you think about your 52 new relationships at the end of 2024.
- Content creation. Create a new item (article, video, graphic, webinar, etc.) each month that helps your target audience do their jobs better. You’ll have an excellent library at year-end.
- Content promotion. Now that you’ve created content, post on your website and social media, send as an email newsletter, and create a new prospect drip campaign.
- SEO. I’m thinking specifically about how your content can show in research-related searches relevant to your business.
- PR. Pitch that monthly content to industry trades or other relevant publications. You’ll be building media contacts, and may even get a hit.
- Events. Many of the best conferences and tradeshows choose speakers and sell out exhibit halls up to a year in advance. You can also create your own.
- Client referrals. Happy clients refer others. Implementing a survey like NPS® will measure satisfaction and identify opportunities for improvement.
- Partnerships. Who else can recommend or sell your products/services? Activating those relationships will take more time than creating them.
- Measurement. Determine your marketing metrics before implementing activities, including interim (clicks, calls) and ultimate (clients, revenue) measures.
While digital advertising can generate quick (and often expensive) results, most marketing activities take time to develop. Those with patience reap the rewards – quality leads and new clients at a reasonable ROI.
Note: NPS® is a registered trademark of Bain & Company, Inc., NICE Systems, Inc., and Fred Reichheld.
