A new year is coming, which means a new set of marketing initiatives. If you’re not a professional marketer, this can feel overwhelming. From knowing where to allocate marketing dollars to having someone take charge of measuring and optimizing throughout the year, it’s time-consuming and not necessarily what sets your soul on fire. 

We get it, and that’s why we created a handy dandy marketing checklist to help you focus on what matters most!

Step #1 – Have you wrapped up your business plan?

Marketing efforts can’t happen in a vacuum. To effectively work, they must align with the organizational goals – and, let’s be honest, budget! That’s why step one starts with your business plan. 

Whether it’s a new plan for 2025 or a refresh from last year’s version, marketing initiatives should integrate the overall business vision, goals, and success measurements. 

A business focused on increasing visibility has different needs than one that wants to improve its reputation – just like one focused on attracting professional team members has different needs than one who wants to break sales records.

Want to do it all? Great! Just be sure the business plan, including what success looks like, is clearly communicated to your marketing team. 

Things to think about – 

• Have you wrapped up your business plan?
• Are vision, goals, and success KPIs clearly outlined?
• Has a marketing budget been established for this year?
• Has the plan and budget been communicated with the marketing team?

Step #2 – Have you reviewed your website?

Like it or not, your website is a reflection of your credibility and trustworthiness. So, if it looks dated or loads at a snail’s pace, consider what that’s communicating to your potential clients.

Focus on things like brand consistency and clarity. Is what you do clear to an outsider? Does the messaging and tone reflect the business and culture well? Are photos clear and valuable to the user? 

If you’ve invested in a new website more recently, take the time to click through it with fresh eyes. Look for outdated events, dates, team members, services, copyrights, etc. Check submission forms and page links to see if anything is missing or broken. Complete the same checklist on your phone to ensure mobile works too!

Now that you’ve looked at the front end of your website, it’s time to check the technical stuff. Is your SSL certificate current? Are any plugins outdated or broken? Both are essential to your security (no one has time to get hacked) and user experience. 

Things to check – 

• Brand clarity and consistency
• Content – both written and visual
• Outdated events / team members / services / locations / copyrights
• Links / contact forms 
• Mobile experience
• Overall site speed and ease of use
• SSL certificate / plugins

Step #3 – Do you have (or need) a plan?

Before launching into a new plan, take the time to assess your existing marketing efforts. What’s working and what’s not?

Or, if you’re not sure, where do you need to integrate analytics to gather data on your efforts to date? 

If you’re posting on social media, for example, review your strategy and content types. Has your overall audience grown? What type of posts get the most engagement and how do you increase those in the new year?

If you have a Google Business Profile, are you measuring traffic from that page? If you don’t have one, let’s start there! 

From SEO to ads and everything in between, marketing without strategy and measurement can feel like a money pit for your business. For the most effective results, align your marketing with your business goals, assess what’s working and what’s not and integrate a strategy that will quantifiably work for you – and your audience!

Things to investigate – 

• What marketing are you currently doing (newsletters / social media / blogs / flyers / ads / expos / SEO)?
• What results are you tracking and where is more tracking necessary? A good place to start is with Google Analytics, Google Search Console, reports that show engagement on your social media channels, newsletter campaigns, etc. 
• Are there any marketing efforts you want to try this year and do you know what they will cost?
• Do you have a strategy, and if so, what needs to be done for a new year (how did your audience, offerings, or results shift)?

Have questions or want support going into 2025 strong? Visit www.themmcagency.com and request a free consultation with our team.