Here are 5 tips to help you get your 2014 marketing off to a great start:

1. Determine where you currently stand.  What were the results of your 2013 marketing efforts? What worked and what didn’t? Can you measure the ROI for most of your marketing activities? Are you reaching your target market? Are you spending too little or too much? If the answer to any of these questions is “No” or “I don’t know,” it’s time to do an audit. Identify areas for improvement and look at what to keep and what to change.
2. Write down key dates. Are you rolling out a new product or service in 2014? Having an anniversary or annual sale? Will you be closed for any part of the year? Put these events into a timeline and think about what marketing activities should take place around them to keep your customers informed.
3. Identify major goals. What are your major business goals for the coming year? How can your marketing efforts help achieve those goals? Will you create a new website or improve your old one? Do you want to find new ways to connect with customers through email or direct mail? Do you want to start a referral program or improve customer loyalty through social media? You won’t grow and build your business without identifying where you want to go first.
4. Create a marketing outline for 2014.  Once you’ve determined your goals and key dates for the year, establishing a marketing plan is key. Of course, you’re bound to make changes as the year progresses, but take the time now to sketch out what activities need to take place when.  Create a calendar and write in a timeline for website updates, email newsletters and promotions, sales events, marketing materials, etc.
5. Determine who will do what.  Who will be responsible for your marketing efforts? If you have in-house marketing staff, the answer to this question may be easy, but there may be other employees who will play important roles in executing your plan. For instance, creating new content, especially for your website, which helps with your Google ranking — is something that can many of your staff may help with. However, if your goals and ideas are bigger than your staff capabilities, it may be time to consider bringing in some additional help to outsource some or all of your projects.

Then when you’ve done all this, you can relax and enjoy the Christmas holidays!