3 Keys To 2018 Marketing Success

“Failing to plan is planning to fail.”

You may have heard that quote a million times, but with good reason. None of us have a crystal ball to see into the future but a solid marketing plan can lay the pathway to a successful year.

Yes, you might wind up with more curves and turns in the road than you’d like but having the plan will make sure you stick to your path and eventually this the destination – success!

A recent Forbes article focusing on how to successfully plan a marketing strategy for the New Year focuses on two critical pieces that are really important:
1. Learning the ROI
2. Focusing on a consistent brand experience

That leads us to….

Brand Considerations

Here’s the questions to ask as you look back on the past year and evaluate what your needs will be for the New Year:
• Does the public perception of your brand match the values and impression you want to give? How can you change their perception if not?
• Has your audience changed? Have you been targeting the appropriate groups and demographics? If so, how can you do so more effectively?
• Does all of your printed communications match what you want out of your branding? Does anything need to be updated?
• Is your messaging up to date and in line with supporting your overall goals and objectives?

Be sure to look through each and every piece you have. The direction of a company can change, new services and product lines introduced, acquisitions made. What worked and sounded good last year may not be as effective for the next one. Are your brand ambassadors showcasing your brand materials in a way that is exciting and consistent?

Sales Considerations

There are a lot of pathways that sales goals can take but it all comes back to one really critical goal: increase revenue!

Is your company doing everything it can to support your sales team? There’s really only one way to find out: talk to your team.

Here’s some ideas for possible sales collateral pieces that will help your team close leads even faster:

• Unique and innovative business cards
• Brochures
• Catalogs
• Sales sheets
• Data sheets and charts
• Infographics
• Training manuals
• Direct mail letters
• One sheet leave behinds

Events and Trade Show Considerations

Annual events and trade shows can make it easy to fall into the same-old routine, ordering the same items on default without taking a hard look at what’s actually working. Will you have new events on the calendar for 2018? Some early planning can help make sure you knock it out of the park with amazing and dynamic branded messaging.

Questions to ask about your trade show presence and evaluate your success:

• Is your booth and collateral properly branded?
• Does your collateral push potential leads through the sales pipeline?
• Do your banners and imaging draw in attendees from across the room?

Questions to ask when planning events:

• What type of collateral do you need for “save-the-dates”, invites, agendas and programs, directional signage and banners?
• How can you incorporate a floor or wall graphic to better brand your event?

Now that you have plenty to think about go ahead and get started on that 2018 plan if you haven’t already! Set yourself up for a year of success and get ready to start down the road to your New Year goals on January 1st.

Amanda Sexton is a contributing Editor for SHOUT, a 25 year old graphic and print solutions family-owned company located in Flemington, NJ that specializes in high-quality results for businesses, entertainment and events, and commercial services. Focused on providing products that support a broader goal for their customers, SHOUT’s team delivers projects with a personal touch throughout the entire process.