2021 has been…interesting.  Now it’s time to clear the slate and start planning for a prosperous 2022.

In this article, we show you how to create (or refresh) your marketing strategy for the next 12 months. To make life easier, why not help yourself to our handy marketing campaign planner? To request your free copy, click here.

Step 1: Reflect on your 2021 marketing
Your first job is to take an objective look at what worked and what didn’t in 2021. Did your campaigns deliver as you expected? Did certain channels deliver better results than others?  Where is there room for improvement?

Step 2: Revisit your audience
Consumer and business habits have changed a lot in the last couple of years, so take this opportunity to establish whether your existing target audience is still ‘right’, and whether their needs have changed. You might want to invest in some professional market research, or you can use social media polls, customer surveys, industry reports and so on.

Step 3: Set goals
What are you looking to achieve in 2022?  Here, you can set three to five marketing-related goals, such as increasing sales, improving lead generation, building brand awareness, increasing market share, and so on. Using the SMART acronym, make sure each goal is:

• Specific (for example, delivering a certain number or percentage)
• Measurable (using KPIs to define and measure success)
• Achievable (optimistic is good but your goal must be attainable)
• Relevant (to your overall business values and objectives)
• Time-sensitive (with deadlines)

For each goal, state three to five practical actions that will help to deliver your objective.

Step 4: Define your budget
This is where you agree how much you want to spend on your marketing, and where you want to focus your budget (i.e. those channels that deliver the best ROI, based on step 1).  Make sure your budget includes the full range of marketing costs, including software, new hires, contractor/consultancy work, content creation, advertising and market research.

Step 5: Turn your strategy into a tactical plan
Now you’re ready to translate strategy into action – by plotting out campaigns for various channels (blogs, social media, email, etc.) and scheduling these across the year.  This is where our marketing campaign planner comes in handy.  With this easy-to-use template, you can map out your marketing activities in detail.

We hope these tips help you plan for 2022 with confidence. Remember to get your free copy of our campaign planner.  And if you need any marketing support – with strategy, implementing campaigns, or whatever – the OCTOPUS team is always ready to lend a hand.

(Photo by Austin Distel on Unsplash)