The end of the year consists of a lot of planning. Planning your Halloween costume. Planning your Thanksgiving dinner plans. Planning gifts for your friends and family. Yet, there is one set of planning you can’t leave until the last minute and that is your 2024 marketing plan.

As a business, it is extremely important to use this time at the end of the year to reflect on the year that was and then set your business up for a successful start to 2024. As you are working with your marketing agency in developing a plan for the coming year, you should keep a few steps and notes in mind including revisiting the 2023 plan, setting a budget, collaboration, consistency, and adapt as you go.

Revisit 2023 Plan and Results

Before you even begin to take steps in formulating your 2024 plan, you and your team should take a step back and revisit the 2023 plan and results. When taking a deep dive into the results make sure to look into items such as actual sales vs. projected, did we measure our KPIs closely enough, and did we see any seasonality? All of this information will help evaluate what the successes were, what didn’t work so well, what we wish we had implemented, and any pain points to be aware of. When revisiting the 2023 plan, you may even come across tactics or initiatives that didn’t make the cut but may be a good choice for the next year.

Setting a budget

In order to put together a successful plan, looking at your business's financial situation and deciding your dedicated marketing budget will assist your marketing team in developing a strategic marketing plan. Having an appropriate  budget set affords the marketing team the ability to strategically plan all tactics effectively.

Collaboration

No idea is a bad idea when first beginning to formulate the 2024 plan. Including key stakeholders from your team is beneficial in getting ideas from all aspects of the business. One of the best ways to begin this collaboration process is with a team brainstorm, which in turn, can be fun for the team and keep everyone invested in the business and marketing efforts.

Consistency

Having a consistent message throughout your marketing plan will help create that brand recognition even more for your target audience. By planning ahead, it gives your marketing team the time to develop those plans and make sure you are consistently hitting our target audience in the best way possible.

Adapt as you go

Don’t be scared to adjust the plan as you go. Once you finally have your plan implemented in Q1, watching performance and reviewing reporting will help you make any necessary optimizations. Whether it be adding budget due to successes or altering tactics and messaging, keeping an eye on performance and reporting will assist in making these decisions.

At Pyper Inc., we thoroughly believe in taking the time to strategically plan for the year to come. If you feel like your business is in need of a marketing plan contact us today!