We have just been working on our marketing strategy for 2019 and we have put together a guide to creating a successful marketing plan. We had great fun putting all our ideas on paper and then putting it into our marketing strategy. So where do you start?

Recap and Evaluate

Firstly, recognise what worked well and more importantly what didn’t in 2018. It is important to reflect on previous results and direct your efforts and attention accordingly. At Talkmarketing a high percentage of our revenue is generated from existing clients and word of mouth. Our clients are happy, they then tell others and that natural growth is healthy.

However, what is important is to establish areas where marketing efforts didn’t produce the results they should have – then this should be revised and understood to find out what didn’t work and what should be done to move it forward.

Keep up with the changes

In today’s world it is very hard to keep on top of the technical changes that are happening so fast. We found it hard to keep up in 2018 and we recognise that our social media marketing efforts did not replicate the changing marketing environment around us. We have learnt from this and for 2019 we are tapping into the latest trends on offer within LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram. Not every platform works for specific industry sectors, its working out what fits best for your own business.

Systems which are bespoke to your industry sector are a must. At Talkmarketing we use a specific telemarketing CRM system which has helped us move forward leaps and bounds with reporting and produce viable results for businesses at the end of each day. It is so important to find out what works in your specific industry and use this to your advantage.

A major part of developing a successful marketing strategy is to explore new options. Be creative and look at different marketing, don’t always stick to the ‘old way’ be open to new ideas and new ways of increasing your marketing potential.

Measurable and realistic targets

So many times, over 2018 I have heard talk about targets which have just been so unrealistic resulting in disappointment and bad ROI. It’s all well and good setting goals and targets for the year, but these need to be realistic and attainable. It is important to set your sights high, but it is also so important to be realistic.

Targets can be determined by several things:

• Evaluate last year’s outcomes and see how this matches up to your 2019 targets.
• Do your research – it is so important to find out what other companies are using or saying about their experience using different marketing tools and platforms.
• Your budget- the results that you need to get will depend on your ROI and how this will be reached.

If you are looking at your marketing strategy and need more clients or need to be in contact with your existing clients but just don’t have the time, then please give us a call on 01424 576658. Include telemarketing as one of your marketing tools, using this with other marketing options is very powerful and can lead to realistic targets and fabulous ROI.