Ben Givon’s tips “How to Create an Online Marketing Plan for 2020”
Wouldn’t it be nice if you could rely on the same online marketing plan year after year?
Unfortunately, your current strategy will only pay off for so long, as you’ll eventually find that you’re spending time and money on tactics that no longer yield a positive return on investment.
Imagine if you tried using your marketing strategy from 2015 today. It wouldn’t be pretty.
But that doesn’t mean you’re out of luck. It simply means you should shift your online marketing plan as necessary, ensuring that you’re always taking steps in the right direction.
If you’re in the process of creating an online marketing plan for 2020, here are the five steps you can take:
1. Review the Positives
Above all else, make a special note of what worked for you last year.
Did you win big with corporate blogging, but fall short on social media? Did your podcast grow nicely while your YouTube marketing plan faltered?
Knowing where you had the most success will allow you to focus on this again in the new year. Sure, you may have to tweak some things here and there, but overall you can take the same basic approach with the hopes of achieving the same or better results.
2. Review the Negatives
It’s never as exciting as the positives, but you need to know where your online marketing plan fell short last year.
Trying to pound a square peg into a round hole is a mistake. If it didn’t work before, adjust your approach before trying it again. Neglecting to do so will cost you time and money that you don’t have, while also raising your level of frustration and stress.
Tip: be honest with yourself when reviewing your failures. Yes, it’s difficult to do so, but lying and hoping to get away with it will come back to haunt you.
3. Review Your Budget, Set a New One
Are you okay with how much money you spent on marketing over the past year? Did you achieve a positive return on investment? Could you have done a better job managing your budget?
Once you review your budget, set a new one based on your outlook for the next 12 months. Maybe you’ll have more money to spend on marketing, which should help you expand your approach. Or maybe you need to tone it back a bit, which will force you to get creative.
Either way, knowing your numbers inside and out is of utmost importance.
4. Cut Out the Dead Weight
There are two things you can do about a marketing technique that didn’t work: you can cut it out entirely, or adjust your approach in hopes of better results the next time around.
The one thing you don’t want to do is continue with the status quo. It didn’t work in the past, so there’s no reason to believe it will change in the future.
When you cut dead weight, you end up with more resources for techniques you’ve proven successful in the past. It’s all about putting your money to good use.
5. Bring in Help
Don’t feel like you have to do everything yourself. Work closely with other members of your team to review your strategy from 2019, make adjustments, and settle on something you’re comfortable with for the new year.
And if that doesn’t work, bring in an outside consultant to examine the good, the bad, and the ugly. Yes, it’ll cost you some money, but it’s better than going at it alone and hoping that you get everything right.
Don’t Wait too Long
Waiting until January 2020 to create your online marketing plan will only end up in frustration. This isn’t something you do overnight. Waiting until the last minute will cost you valuable time.
You don’t have to spend your entire month of December on this task, but it should be a big part of what you do. Once you have an online marketing plan in place, you’ll feel more confident in your ability to share your brand with the world, boost engagement, and take revenue to new heights.
