Looking to put together a marketing plan for 2025 to make it your best year yet? When it comes to marketing your business, the start of the new year is the perfect opportunity to analyze what worked (and what didn’t!) over the last 12 months and plan for what lies ahead. Whether you’re a small business owner or part of a larger company, you’re probably all too familiar with the ups and downs that happen over the year. 2024 likely had its fair share of busy months and slower periods – the natural ebb and flow that every company experiences.
With a marketing plan, it’s not about trying to gaze into a crystal ball and predict the future – improving your strategy for 2025 is really about carefully examining what’s already happened. By taking a close look at your business’s 2024 performance, you can uncover valuable insights to guide your strategy for mapping out the new year. Read on to find out what you need to create a recipe for success in 2025.
STEP 1? Review the Past Year’s Ups And Downs For a Successful Marketing Plan
Okay, it seems like an easy task but focusing on certain areas will help you understand where your marketing has to pivot. Armed with these insights and marketing tips, you can map out a strategic marketing plan to achieve your goals for 2025.
Review Your Profit and Loss
Examine which months had the strongest profits and which were slower. This will help you plan for 2025 – you can ramp up marketing and promotional efforts during your slower months to even out the ups and downs. Which were your strongest sales months, and which left you wishing you could drum up more business? Was there a reason for the shift and how can you take advantage of that in your marketing messaging?
Evaluate Your Top Products/Services
Identify your most popular and profitable offerings. Focus your marketing efforts on growing those key areas of your business in the coming year and look for ways to expand in those categories. Can you use these products to drive more business for your slower-moving ones?
Analyze Your Advertising Spend
Look at what you spent on different advertising channels and calculate the return on investment (ROI) for each one. Double down on the ads and promotions that gave you the best results and lighten up on ones that didn’t perform well. It’s also a good time to review new advertising platforms or ask your agency to recommend ones that could be successful for your business in the new year.
Evaluate Your Website
Review your website – the content, imagery, functionality, etc. – to make sure it accurately reflects your brand and offerings and that it works quickly and smoothly. Remember, this is where new potential customers will find you so you need to put your best foot forward. If updates are needed, contact your web designer or agency now before rates potentially increase in January – the sooner you start, the sooner you’ll have that brilliant new website in place.
Map Out a Month-by-Month Strategy For Your Marketing Plan
With a clear understanding of what worked well (and what didn’t) over the past 12 months, you can now develop a strategic marketing plan to smooth out the peaks and valleys, leverage your biggest moneymakers, and achieve your goals for the new year ahead. Let’s take a look at the foundations of a solid marketing plan.
Set Goals
This seems like a no-brainer but you’d be surprised how many small businesses skip this step. Determine what you want to achieve in the new year – sales targets, new product launches, etc. Having clear goals will help guide your marketing plan.
Outline Your Calendar
Plan around what you’ll sell, promote, or focus on each month. This could include seasonal products, events you’ll attend, advertising campaigns, and more. Look back at your marketing from 2024 – if something didn’t work, scrap it; if one of your marketing ideas was a winner, repeat it.
Budget for Advertising
When you’re evaluating your advertising spend for 2025, look at the whole year. Allocate funds based on your biggest marketing efforts but remember that you need to maintain a presence throughout the year, whether it’s digital or traditional. Determine which channels will get the biggest pieces of your advertising budget and when. Many products and services have seasonality, it’s wise to focus advertising on your most profitable seasons and set up a maintenance plan for the slower months.
Don’t Just Plan – Execute
Having a solid plan is important, but actually following through is key. Set up dates in your calendar to review and refine your marketing strategy quarterly, but make sure you follow up monthly so you can take necessary action on it throughout the year. Don’t leave a marketing strategy in place too long if it’s not working, optimize and revise your plan when you need to.
Getting The Help You Need To Execute Your Campaigns Effectively Is Crucial To Your Success.
Wouldn’t it be great if you knew everything there is to know about your business and you could do it all yourself? Unfortunately, that’s not the case. If you’re looking at your marketing plan and it’s not quite working for you, or you realize that you need to talk to someone who knows a bit more about the subject, don’t be afraid to call in an expert. Marketing agencies can help you refine your strategies and suggest new ways to grow your business. Not only will they give you expert advice, they’ll free up your time so you can concentrate on other areas of the business you need to focus on.
Need Help Making That Marketing Plan For 2025 A Success? Call Us Today For Marketing & Advertising Solutions That Deliver REAL Results.
If you’re ready to put together a marketing plan for 2025 that rocks, let’s chat. We can help you plan from the ground up or make suggestions to improve your strategies over the year. Then, we can put those ideas into action for you and make your business stand out from your competition. At 3SIXTY Marketing Solutions, we don’t just run an ad for you or create a website then walk away, we take the time to optimize and strategize before, during and after your campaigns.
Give us a call today 705-252-4180, or book a free consultation, and find out how our results-driven marketing and advertising plans or packages can set up your business for success in 2025!
