It's that time of year when marketers need to seriously nail down how they plan to grow their business in the coming year. While things in the world remain unpredictable, it is still important to have an organized marketing plan. Here we take a look at seven steps to reach your marketing goals in 2022.

Evaluate Your Current Marketing Plan

What worked in 2021? What didn't? How much of that was due to the pandemic? These are just a few questions to ask when evaluating your current/previous marketing plan. Take a deep analytical dive into individual campaigns, target markets, and tactics to see what should be repeated, what needs further test, and what needs to be thrown out.

Determine Your Goals And Objectives

This is an important first step in formulating a new plan for 2022. What will be your KPI's? What are your goals in reference to your audience, visitors, reach, leads, sales, and revenue? Knowing this will help you design an overall plan to achieve those goals. Without first determining your goals, you'll be flying blind with no measure for success.

Create A Detailed And Flexible Plan

Your marketing plan should go in-depth on what you plan to do in every aspect of your marketing. This includes your goals, strategies, tactics, campaigns, and events. Map every initiative out for the coming year while leaving flexibility for periodic changes and the unexpected. Make sure your entire team is well versed in your goals and objectives.

Delegate Tasks To Appropriate Team Members

Determine who on your team will handle each task and delegate responsibilities based on individual team members' strengths. Provide clear direction and timelines for completing each task and be ready to answer any questions they may have. Marketing can only be successful when everyone is on the same page.

Outsource Where You Lack Bandwidth Or Expertise

It is often the case that your marketing goals will outweigh your available resources, with some tasks being outside of any of your team member's expertise. In these cases, you'll want to seek out an outsource partner to help you achieve your overall vision and goals. Find an agency specializing in your industry that offers the appropriate services and knows your audience.

Continuously Test And Evaluate Results

Continuous testing and evaluation is a must to ensure the success of any marketing plan. With built-in flexibility, your plan should allow you to change course without disrupting other initiatives. This does not mean you should make hasty decisions. Certain tactics require time to become successful, so make sure you evaluate each tactic on an individual basis.

Pivot When Necessary

If you've gone through the appropriate testing and something still isn't working, don't be afraid to pivot in a different direction. You may find a specific platform isn't working for you, or even a particular subject matter isn't resonating with your audience. Nothing ever goes entirely as planned, and marketing is certainly no exception.

Click below to download our free guide on evaluating your digital marketing strategy.