Four Resolutions to Make 2013 Your Best Year Yet

The New Year is right around the corner. 2013 represents opportunity and possibility. It’s a blank canvas. The possibilities are endless.

What do you want to create?

 It all starts with a plan. If you haven’t already, take the time to list several goals for 2013. These goals should be specific and measurable—i.e. “increase revenue by 20% as compared to 2012.” Then create a plan to meet these goals.

Whatever your plans may be for 2013, our hope is that your marketing initiatives will allow you to achieve your goals. And to that end, below are five New Year’s resolutions to make your marketing efforts more effective than ever:

1) Stop marketing in spurts. Most small business owners can identify with this “cycle.”

Step one: Business is great and you’re so busy keeping up with customers that no marketing happens. But that’s fine, because business is great. Step two: Business slows down. You panic and start doing everything you can to get customers back in the door. Step three: Business picks back up, and marketing is again placed on the back burner.

This cycle can and often does repeat itself indefinitely. But if your goal is to build a consistent, sustainably profitable business, marketing in spurts won’t get you there. You need a marketing system that works all year long, whether or not business is booming. This is no small undertaking, but it’s also among the best investments of time and money you’ll ever make in your business. We’ll discuss this process more in the coming weeks.

2) Identify and leverage your points of differentiation. What makes your business different? What unique value can you provide for your customers or clients that nobody else can? Why should a prospect choose to do business with you instead of someone else in your market? Not only do YOU need to know the answer to these questions, but so does your market. The primary aim of your marketing should be to establish your unique value within your market. Do this right and not only will you have a flood of new business, but you’ll be able to charge premium rates because of the value you provide.

3) Create more “touch points” for clients, customers, and prospects. “Top of mind” awareness is vital to retaining current clients and bringing in new business. Most of your market probably doesn’t need your help right now, but sooner or later they will. And when that time comes, YOU want to be the name that pops into their head. One important way to create this awareness is simply by staying in touch. Every interaction on social media, every email, every visit to your website, every piece of direct mail continues to build this awareness. Look for more opportunities to stay in touch this year!

4) Try new things – and track results. The best, most consistent, most profitable marketing campaigns are constructed through trial and error. Every business is different and every market is different, so you need to be willing to experiment. Try a Facebook ads campaign. Start a blog. Create an email marketing campaign. Spend more time networking. Get creative.

There is one important catch, however. Whatever you do, it’s crucial that you track your results. Pay attention to the time you invest in each initiative, the dollars you spend, and the results you see. Over time, you’ll figure out what works and what doesn’t. And that’s how a consistently profitable marketing system is created.

Happy New Year from all of us at One Marketing… we hope that 2013 will be an incredible year for you, your family, and your business!

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Spotlight Branding

Spotlight Branding is a content marketing and branding firm for lawyers and other professionals. Our goal is to help you create an online presence that positions you as a credible expert in your field, keeps you connected with your network in order to stay top of mind and increase referrals, and to become more visible online so prospects can find you!