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Get a Jump on Your Strategic Marketing Plan

With 2023 right around the corner, it’s time to get your marketing ducks in a row

The proverb, “Time waits for no one,” is highly applicable to the annual year-end sprint for businesses. Not only do companies need to close out the year on a high note, but they must also get a jump on next year’s strategic marketing plan. In this blog, we’ll examine how you can start putting a framework together to develop your plan and move your business forward.

A Quick Primer

Putting together a strategic marketing plan can seem overwhelming, but it is not that difficult. That’s because a strategic marketing plan can largely adhere to a simple format, which is:

  • Overview
  • Marketing Goals
  • Marketing Strategies
  • Marketing Tactics
  • Resources
  • Timelines
  • Evaluation Methods

Now, each element of your plan needs to build organically off one another. For instance, once you have your annual goals in place, the strategies you decide on need to naturally lead to achieving each goal. A similar process will occur for your marketing tactics: Think of them as a step-by-step process for bringing each strategy to fruition.

Also, remember the benefits of making your SMART. Last year, we wrote a blog on what that means, which you can read here. Let’s get a summary:

  • Specific: Don’t simply say something like: “I want to increase my customer-base.” Instead, consider the specific number and types of new customers you would like to obtain.
  • Measurable: Attach metrics to your goals. This involves benchmarking where your company currently is so you can assess whether your marketing has moved the needle.
  • Achievable: It’s important to “dream big,” but your final marketing plan should include goals you can reasonably hit.
  • Relevant:Spend time ensuring your goals are relevant to your organization’s priorities. Be honest with yourself. Will that exciting new marketing project or initiative really help you achieve your business goals? If not, perhaps it’s worth thinking about other ways to allocate your time and resources.  
  • Time-sensitive: Goals are great, but they also need a clear timetable. Without a timeframe, core aspects of your marketing plan will begin to break down.

Leverage Top Trends

For small businesses, there are plenty of new developments in the marketing world to consider implementing in your 2023 plan that can help you achieve better customer relationships and higher profitability. Here are just a few trends we’re seeing:

  • Video Content is King: According to research, more than 50 percent of viewers prefer to consume online content in a video format.[i]
  • Partnerships: Forming strategic partnerships can help you reach new markets and gain higher levels of engagement. Of course, remember to keep it compliant.
  • Interactive Content: As part of your content marketing efforts in 2023, you may want to experiment with interactive material in the form of polls, quizzes, calculators, assessments and more.
  • Conversational Marketing: Chat bots, artificial intelligence and machine learning can be lumped under the umbrella term of “conversational marketing.” They offer clear advantages over traditional methods by supporting two-way conversations. If you’d like to get a basic introduction to chat bots, check out our full blog on the subject.  
  • Corporate Social Responsibility: The way a business conducts itself socially is increasingly a top concern for customers. How big is this trend?

    • 87 percent of consumers will purchase a product because a company advocated for an issue they care about.
    • 92 percent of consumers say they have a more positive image of a company when it supports social or environmental issues.
    • 66 percent of consumers are willing to pay extra for products and services that come from companies committed to positive social and environmental impact.[ii]

These figures paint a clear portrait and present an obvious takeaway: Being community responsive and socially responsible pays off in real dollars and cents.

Don’t Leave it to Chance

Your business is too important to leave something like how you promote it to chance. This makes your strategic marketing plan about as important as it gets. While strategic marketing can get complicated quickly, having even a strong framework in place, one marked by SMART goals and aligned with your overall business priorities, can go a long way. Pairing this with the field’s top and emerging trends can optimize your efforts further, positioning you to obtain strong customer connections and lasting profitability in the new year.

Want a deeper dive into creating a strategic marketing plan for 2023. Check out this helpful article.


[i] Content Trends: Global Preferences (hubspot.com)

[ii] How Corporate Social Responsibility Connects Us to Consumers (corporatewellnessmagazine.com)

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This blog contains general information only, not intended to be relied upon as, nor a substitute for, specific professional advice. We accept no responsibility for loss occasioned to any purpose acting on or refraining from action as a result of any material on this blog.

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