Posted by Kat Trewern on 3 January 2012 | 0 Comments

As many people return to work today, recovering from the shock of the alarm clock and experiencing withdrawal symptoms from afternoon naps and endless supplies of food, it’s time to look ahead for 2012 and what the year will bring.

Many people make New Year’s resolutions (with varying degrees of success), but have you considered making any for your business?  We’ve come up with a few ideas to start you off here:

Plan, plan and plan!
Planning your marketing activity for the next 12 months can predict the level of budget you’ll need, whilst ensuring that you have a structured and integrated marketing approach to any campaigns and that you make the most of any significant dates such as Easter, Halloween etc.

Avoid always running ad-hoc campaigns
Whilst you might get a sales call offering you a great opportunity at a significant discount, don’t always get sucked in by a bargain.  Instead, think about whether the audience is right, will it fit within a current campaign, can you use any existing artwork or will you need to spend additional money on having some created?

Follow up
It’s all well and good sending out postal campaigns and emails, but if you just send one and don’t follow up, you’ll never experience the returns that you deserve.  Make sure you get the best return from activity and get in touch with the recipients to see if they found it interesting – can you stay in touch?

Network
Events can be a great way to meet new suppliers, clients and referrals.  Although networking events can be a good way to get your name out there and ensure you are remembered, test a few out and see which have the most appropriate attendees for you.