‘Tis the season to be jolly and after a big year, no one will blame you for wanting to take some well-earned time off. However, before you do, may we suggest that now is the time to prepare and sign off on your 2019 marketing program.
Here’s SIX tips for growing your business from the moment you return from holidays next year to get the jump on your competitors.
1. If you haven’t done so already, start planning your 2019 marketing program now – November!
If you start planning your marketing program now and have it signed off ASAP, your marketing communications can be prepared and ready for distribution in advance, and you’ll be well ahead of your less organised competitors.
February and March are important marketing months for professional service providers because your clients and those who refer new business to you are back at work, and once school returns, your prospective clients will begin to focus in earnest. Send your first EDM (email direct marketing) communication early in February as your audience of clients, prospects and COIs (centres of influence) will be fresh and raring to go after their holiday break.
Set a client event date in March as this provides enough time to promote it while not being so far into the business year that other distractions prevent solid attendance. April can be tricky with school and public holidays. Easter is late in 2019 so make the most of the first week, then accept that clients will be more focussed on the upcoming long weekend than starting anything new.
May like February is a strong marketing month. Everyone settles back into a regular routine after a couple of long weekends. June 30 is an accepted deadline and brings some urgency for getting things done, especially for those clients who may have been dragging the chain on any number of matters. And just like that, six months of your marketing plan is done!
2. Prepare a ‘doable’ marketing communication program
Keep your marketing program practical, ensure it makes sense to you and you feel confident you have the capacity for implementing it. The key is to have enough. Too little will mean you won’t gain the traction you need (you can always add extra items to your plan) and trying to do too much is usually disastrous. For professional services firms monthly EDM and weekly social media posts is doable.
3. Be original, you’ll never set yourself apart from your competitors with generic content.
With advance planning you can prepare original articles and blogs that reflect your expertise and which genuinely help those whom you most want to do business with. Then use excerpts from that ‘original’ content to create meaningful (rather than generic) social media posts. If you don’t have the time or the skills, engage someone to do it for you.
4. Review your social media
Speaking of social media, if it’s been a while since you updated your social media business templates and tightened up your security settings, now’s the time to do it. It’s also worth reviewing your social media strategy, that is, if you have one. If your current year of social media activity has culminated in overdone birthday morning teas, generic information or worthless sharing just to post something, aim for a social media plan in 2019 that delivers regular, relevant and helpful ‘original’ content across the social media channels that are most appropriate for you and your ideal clients.
5. Continually extend your reach to new audiences of prospective clients
Collaborate with non-competing aligned professionals who can refer new business to you and vice versa, constantly grow your database of contacts and prospects through person to person networking, LinkedIn and other social media channels.
6. Most importantly… be proactive.
Prospective clients get busy too, so there’s every chance they’ll appreciate a call offering help to solve a problem or deliver a successful outcome.
There’s no doubt 2019 will pass just as quickly as this year. Here at Bold! we’ve been helping business owners and professionals to use marketing to grow their businesses for 22 years. We have developed a ‘do-able’ marketing model that is time effective, affordable and accountable. If we can help please contact us at marketing@boldcorp.com.au
