Category Archives: 2012 Marketing Strategy
How to Set Goals for the New Year
Ready to write some resolutions? Here are some tips that have worked for me.
1. Begin by telling yourself that the new year will be the best year of your life. Going into the process with this positive attitude may help motivate you through the tougher parts. That can be the first thing you write down, if you wish. For example, at the top of my paper, I might write: “2012 Will Be The Best Year of My Life!”
2. Think of — and write down — the good things you want for yourself, your business, and those you love. Try not to let anything get in the way of writing these down. For example, don’t think…yes, but if only I could afford it! Just write it down.
If you find yourself with a mental block, you can try a number of creative ways to get in touch with your dreams…
- Take a walk outside and talk it over it with a trusted friend.
- Look through your favorite magazines. What articles and photos do you respond to?
- Get big sheets of paper and markers and make BIG lists. That’s how I do it! Post-It makes a great easel sized paper with sticky surfaces to stick on the wall.
- Get lots of different colors of post it notes, with wishes and goals on each one.
- Draw pictures of yourself succeeding in your goal(s)
- If you find you are really stuck, try this imagination-liberating exercise: imagine how you would live your life if you won the lottery. What would you do? Write it down.
3. Categorize your goals. This will help you organize your thoughts. You can dedicate a sheet of paper (or several) to each! Or use different post-it note colors for different areas of your life. Or open a notebook (in Mac Microsoft Word) and dedicate a tab to each section. Whatever method helps you organize your thoughts in a fun and effective way, go for it.
Types of Personal Goals
- Recreation/fun (e.g., concerts, museums, sports)
- Artistic/Creative/Writing/Self-Expression
- Vacation/Trips
- Education/School/Classes/Self-Improvement/New Skills
- Physical Fitness/exercise
- Healthy Diet/food-related
- Healthy Behaviors/Mindset (e.g. smoking, stress, positive outlook)
- Personal appearance/grooming
- Medical/Exams
- Love relationships/marriage/dating
- Friendships/socializing
- Financial/Budget
- Career/Business/Networking/Professional Associations
- Home Purchase/Home Improvement/Home organization
- Auto/Maintenance
- Environmental/green/recycling
- Related to Parenting/children/pets/family
- Spiritual/religious/life purpose
- Community/neighborhood/causes/volunteerism
- Etc.
If you get to this point, you will have a whole lot of goals. You may see a pattern, or one or two goals may leap out at you as the most important. This will help as you start to write the objectives that help you reach your goals. The objectives are the steps along the way that will help you reach your larger goal, or resolution, for the year.
4. Refine and Elaborate Your Personal Goals. So at this point, you have to do a reality check, and start prioritizing the goals you have identified. Which are the most important to you? Which are the most easy to achieve? There is an acronym that many personal coaches recommend, called SMART
- Specific. Make the goal specific. Write it in as positive a tone as you can.
- Measurable. What would define success for you? Losing weight? Or losing fifteen pounds?
- Attainable. Perhaps you might not be able to buy a new car this year. But could you save $25 a week?
- Realistic. Some of your dreams may not be realistic at this point. That’s okay. It’s still good to be aware of them. But stretch your perception of what may be attainable. You may be able to achieve those dreams, or some version of them. You may surprise yourself.
- Time-based. Set a time-limit for your goals, with specific dates. Be sure to include a few modest goals that can be achieved in a relatively short time-frame. That will build your confidence, as you achieve them.
5. Plan How You Will Deal with Obstacles At some point in the goal writing process (it can be towards the end, or in the middle, but it shouldn’t be in the beginning), you can also write down the obstacles that may get in the way of achieving the goals, and decide how you are going to deal with them. This will be an ongoing process throughout the year, by the way, and you may have to adjust, revise, or even abandon goals as these obstacles come up. And that’s okay! Sometimes, a goal has to be postponed. I never have anticipated that I will achieve each and every one of my goals, and I never have, but I try to achieve the most important ones, and the most fun ones. If I don’t meet one goal, there are always others to work on.
The most common obstacles people cite are lack of money, time, and motivation. For lack of money and time, I think it is useful, especially if you are new to personal goal-setting, to set modest goals that don’t cost a lot of money but that will have a big pay-off. For example, it does not generally cost anything to drink more water, or take a half-hour walk each day, but both of these life-changes can have tremendously positive results for your health.
For lack of motivation, the best thing to do is, again, to set small goals, and remind yourself along the way of your success. You can keep your resolutions online, or on an index card (if you only have a few). Whatever you do, write them down! Keep your list with you and read it whenever you can. It is also helpful to share your goals with a positive and supportive person who can help keep you motivated.
Still, as you go through the year, you will encounter people, situations, and problems that may get in your way. There will be people, perhaps even some of your friends, or your boss, children, parents, or spouse, who will be less than supportive or neutral about your progress or achievement. It can be easy to get pigeon-holed into a role, and when you try to break free of that perception people have of you, they may resist it. (Some people, of course, will be wildly supportive!) Or perhaps you are in a job that is not helping you move forward in your career. It could be anything. At that time, ask yourself: is this person/thing/situation taking me farther from or closer to my goals? You cannot afford to let “vampires” drain away your positive energy or enthusiasm, so find away to overcome these obstacles as you work toward your goals.
You will also have sacrifices to make as you reach your goals. They may be small or great. At the very least, you will have to expend effort. Be prepared to give up something, or to work extra hard. For example, if you want to learn new skills that will help you on the job, you will have to pay for classes, which means that you may have to adjust your vacation plans for the year, or buy fewer new clothes. Or if your goal is to improve your personal appearance, maybe you’ll spend more money on clothes! Just give some thought to what you are willing to give up in order to achieve your goals.
Related articles
- Get Ready to Write Resolutions – For You, For Your Business (fletcher-prince.com)
- Setting Goals: Creating Your Resolutions Retreat (fletcher-prince.com)
A Single Resolution for Your Business in 2012
If there was one change you could make for your business in 2012 — a change that would make a real difference — what would that be?
Plenty of business owners are making resolutions and marketing plans right about now. And that is a worthwhile endeavor — provided you can follow through.
But wouldn’t it better to do one thing well, rather than plan several things you don’t complete? Here’s a thought:
If you feel overwhelmed by the effort involved in planning your marketing activities, then pick one, easy-to-do, simple-to-remember goal for your business.
So, is it time to makeover your business? What single goal could you focus on for a full year? Think how your business would change if you
- Wrote one blog post a week.
- Took photos of yourself with your clients.
- Added a video to each page of your website.
- Spoke at one workshop or conference.
- Invested in print or radio advertising.
What are some “one-goals” that could improve your business?
Setting Goals: Creating Your Resolutions Retreat
As we move into the promise of a new year, I hope you will embrace all the wonderful possibilities that goal-setting presents to you for your business or nonprofit organization.
Space to Think, Space to Dream
Goal setting involves a lot of thinking! As you assemble your thoughts and tools, the one thing you need — in addition to time — is space. Space, in two senses. You need space in your mind — uninterrupted, uncluttered time to focus on a plan for a new year. Time away from your children and your commitments, even if only for an hour or two. You need a mini-retreat, or maybe several, if you tackle this in stages.
Finding Your Space
What kind of space do you need to think? When you really need to focus, does it help you to be in a quiet environment? Or do you prefer a little noise?
How about a big, quiet space where you can work for an hour — or a few hours — with some table or desk space, a chair, plenty of wall space to tack your notes up, and room to walk around?
- A borrowed conference room at work
- A community center room
- A study room at the library
- Even a hotel room!
If you can’t work well in a quiet environment, and need a little hub-bub to work your best, why not take your laptop or notebook to Starbuck’s or another coffee place?
Bringing Your Tools to Your Thinking Space
Here are some tools to take with you to your “retreat.”
- A 2012 calendar to plan and write in dates. I use the spiral bound monthly calendars from Staples.
- Something to drink, like coffee or water.
- An iPod and earbuds, if music helps you concentrate
- Gum or mints, or hand-fidgets, if they help you concentrate
- Easel paper pads and post-its
- Tape and scissors (you might cut up your goals and move them around)
- Highlighters and markers
- Pens and notebooks, a laptop
- Post-it notes in various colors
- A favorite magazine or other reading materials
- Maybe a camera, if you want to document your efforts
- These notes (and previous blog posts this week)
- Copies of the action-plan1 and action-plan-example
- Something to carry it all in, like a big tote bag
Should you work alone, with a relative, or with a friend?
That really depends on you. I do recommend sharing your thoughts and work with a friend or relative you trust at a stage where you feel you have organized your thoughts and prioritized your goals. Let them help you refine and shape your plan, and make suggestions. And let them support and advise you through the year.
But perhaps in the beginning, while you are in the dream stage, you might want to work alone, with calls or visits with friends to touch base and to get support.
It’s up to you. Work how you work best!
Finishing the Plan
When you have come up with your goals and resolutions, get them on paper. I keep mine in my purse, in a little notebook.
Good luck with your resolutions! Happy New Year, everybody!
Get Ready to Write Resolutions For Your Business
What changes would you make for your business, if you could?
Resolutions may get you there.
The first approach I recommend is that you set aside time to think about your business. This worthwhile exercise does take time, but the days between Christmas and New Year’s Eve is a good time for this kind of reflection. You can think about this while walking, for example, or talk about it with your friends or family, as well as your staff.
At some point, you may want to spend some time alone, writing your goals. I am sure the writing point is the place where many people do not move on with their resolutions. Let’s examine that. Why is the process of writing down your goals so daunting?
- Not sure how to set goals. It is not an innate skill. There are many approaches, and some of them are complicated. I found several techniques online, and adapted them for my own use.
- Fear of failure. No one likes to fail. Failure, partial or entire, is a possibility. One effective way to counter the fear of failure is to write down all the obstacles that you think you may encounter in achieving each goal, and decide how you will overcome them. Writing down the obstacles will help make them seem more manageable and less anxiety-provoking. Another way is to break your goal into many pieces or steps. If you achieve some of the steps in a year, but not all of them, that cannot be called a failure, really. Just progress, on your way to your ultimate goal.
- Fear of success. Successful change can be nearly as intimidating as the fear of failing. Perhaps the people around you may not fully support you or embrace the new changes you make. Can you imagine the fallout if your business became more successful? Jealousy is a reality. But real friends are there for you when you are successful, as well as when you are down and out. Who can support you along the way to achieving your goals? Who will be your cheerleaders? Who will help you celebrate your success?
- Contentment. If you’re reasonably content now, why shake things up with resolutions that may create their own set of problems? Contentment is a wonderful place to be. Just be sure that it is not disguised as a comfortable rut. Even if you don’t feel like you have changes to make, perhaps think about what you would like to maintain, and how you will make that happen.
An Action Plan! Sometimes, all you need to get started are the right tools. I did not create these tools, but they are free to share, and I think they are helpful. They are PDF files where you fill in the blank to write your own personal goals. A completed example is also attached, which should guide you as you write your own personal goals and action plan.
Download these tools for writing down your New Year’s Resolutions: action-plan1 and action-plan-example.
Your Marketing Strategy for 2012: 5 Ways to Improve Your Public Relations Capabilities
Photo by Jerry Silfwer
Would you like to improve your public relations capabilities in the new year? Is that a goal for you? Here are some free online resources for you to check out.
If you find these resources helpful, do us a favor and please tweet this post!
1. Write Better RFPs
Need to hire a public relations firm? The next time you gear up to prepare a Request For Proposals (RFP), check out this free online resource, RFP Builder, with tools that walk you through the RFP process.
2. Power Up Your Press Releases
If you are using a service to distribute your press releases, you may be confounded about which one to select. Download this Press Release Buyers Guide from Bulldog Reporter.
3. Refresh Your Basic PR Skills
Sharpen your public relations skills. Download the free PRSA APR Study Guide.
4. Measure the Results of Your PR Efforts
Measure the results of your public relations efforts. Here is a comprehensive Communications measurement guide. Be sure to review the 2011 Barcelona Principles.
5. Master Social Media
You already use social media for networking and engagement. Now learn how to use social media in your public relations efforts. Download this HubSpot ebook.
Review and refine your corporate social media policy regularly. Here are more than 150 real-life social media policies to guide you. Don’t forget the employee training component. For more social media in the workplace guidelines, read these posts on the Fletcher Prince Blog.
Engage your supporters on Facebook. Read these Facebook Pages guides and tips. There are links here to guides for businesses, nonprofit organizations, government agencies, police departments, the military, and more.
Make sure you taking full advantage of YouTube. Download the free YouTube Handbook. We also have a YouTube tips section on the Fletcher Prince blog; that is another resource for you.
Want to use Google+ effectively? Watch this video from Chris Brogan on using Google+ for business.
Related articles
- Your Marketing Strategy for 2012 – Avoid 10 Common Pitfalls in the New Year (fletcher-prince.com)
- Your Marketing Strategy for 2012: Invest in the Basics; Refine What You Have (fletcher-prince.com)
- Marketing Lessons We Learned in 2011 (fletcher-prince.com)
- #PRin2012: 12 Trends That Will Change Public Relations (prsay.prsa.org)
- YouTube and Your Brand (Video) (fletcher-prince.com)
- 30 Top Ebooks to Help You Master Inbound Marketing in 2012 (hubspot.com)
Your Marketing Strategy for 2012: A Calendar Full of Opportunities
2011 is winding down and it’s time to plan for 2012. You can start by identifying important 2012 event dates for your marketing efforts.
Sometimes all you need to create an actionable plan are the right tools. I like to use a large erasable wall calendar that shows the year at a glance, myself.
Marketing Calendar Templates
Here’s a monthly marketing calendar template to download. Here’s another version: marketing_calendar. This marketing calendar is more detailed and in a spreadsheet format.
Fletcher Prince Helpers
Monthly marketing ideas will be featured throughout 2012 on the Fletcher Prince Blog. We’ll publish ideas for creating marketing content that your company can produce and distribute online, via email, and in print.
As you plan now for 2012, be sure to add your company’s milestones, special events, and conferences.
Share your yearly marketing planning strategies in the comments.
Check out These Resources
- Your Marketing Strategy for 2012: Invest in the Basics; Refine What You Have (fletcher-prince.com)
- Your Marketing Strategy for 2012 – Avoid 10 Common Pitfalls in the New Year (fletcher-prince.com)
- Set up an editorial calendar for your website content (marketing.yell.com)
- Step Eight: Plan Your Calendar and Budget (chipmacgregor.typepad.com)
- 3 Steps to Your 2012 Content Strategy (personalbrandingblog.com)
- Top 15 Content Marketing Predictions for 2012 (junta42.com)
Your Marketing Strategy for 2012: Invest in the Basics; Refine What You Have
You ever open your closet and think: oh, god, I hate ALL my clothes!
Yeah, me too.
Who among us couldn’t benefit from updating our look? Or even a makeover? You’d still be the same person inside, but the packaging. Ah. Packaging is powerful.
Wait a minute, are we talking about clothes or marketing? Well, maybe there are similarities. Just like you need to have a fantastic “networking” outfit that makes you feel like you can do anything, you also need to have a website that reflects your success.
You need the basic pieces, but you also need accessories to bring life to those pieces and show your individuality.
Get the idea? Same concepts apply to your business…or nonprofit.
These are the basics you need to have in your marketing closet. Most clients I see who do not have all the basic elements they need in place. That, or they could benefit from refining those vehicles.
We did a lot of “makeovers” in 2011 and expect to do even more in 2012, as clients resume their goals for positioning themselves competitively in the gradually improving economy.
Regardless of company size, most business owners and nonprofit managers should be considering an investment in most or all of these basic marketing elements…
- A marketing audit and plan for your business ($1500).
- A suite of professionally designed logos ($1500) in various sizes for your website, business card, letterhead, and for your business presence on social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn, and Yelp.
- A public relations kit that includes executive bios, company fact sheet, and launch press release (starting at $500).
- For proposals, mailings, and speaking engagements, you may also want to invest in a corporate brochure ($1500) and custom presentation folders ($350).
- Professional headshots and corporate photography ($ call for estimate). At the bare minimum, you will need professionally taken, recent photographs of the principal and top managers, as well as photographs of your company headquarters, signage, products, services in action, staff, and community participation.
- A website that is searchable and easy to update ($850-$1200) that integrates social media features.
- A branded YouTube Channel, and at least three videos ($2500 ) YouTube is the third most visited website on the Internet and there is no better way to tell your story than with video.
- An email marketing plan and calendar of communications. So important, and so easily neglected. Email has been shown to be the most effective form of marketing there is. If you have a B2C business (and even some B2B businesses), it is not optional.
- Some form of strategically scheduled direct mail outreach ($ call for estimates).
And here are some recommended accessories. They’re not right for every single client, but for those who can pull it off, it can make those basics sing…
- A blog ($850 for set-up and training)
- Additional videos throughout the year ($750 to $1200 each)
- Facebook Page ($300) – for some clients
- Twitter Profile ($300) – for most clients
- Flickr Photo Sharing – for all clients
The service fees above are for fixed-fee projects are estimates only, based on 2011 published rates, and are subject to change in the new year. Fees do not include affordable printing fees.
Related articles
- Marketing Lessons We Learned in 2011 (fletcher-prince.com)
- 28 Small Business Marketing Resolutions for the New Year (startupnation.com)
Your Marketing Strategy for 2012: How Much? How Often?
Every marketing scenario is different but it can be helpful to have some “frequency” rules of thumb that you can consider and adjust for your needs.
- Blog Posts: Once per week, or more frequently. No less than 12 per year (once per month).
- YouTube Videos: One per month, or more frequently. No less than 6 per year (every other month).
- Facebook Page Updates: Monitor daily and update once or twice a day, max. Try every other day. Schedule updates during evening hours and on weekends and holidays.
- Twitter Updates: Monitor daily and update one to five times a day (space tweets an hour apart). Suspend unrelated tweets during emergencies and disasters, breaking news events.
- Email Communications: One newsletter and one announcement/postcard per month, or no fewer than 6 email communications per year (every other month).
- Radio Advertising: Read this blog post on frequency and effectiveness and consult your ad rep.
- Newspaper Advertising: Run at least 6-8 display ad insertions, at minimum, over a 2 month period, and measure results. Consider weekly ads, and consult your ad rep.
- Postcard Mailings: Tie to events, which you may have every 4-6 weeks, for example.
Your Marketing Strategy for 2012 — Avoid 10 Common Pitfalls in the New Year
When prospective clients ask me how to achieve visibility for their new or existing business, I generally make similar recommendations. My advice would also apply to managers with nonprofit organizations, associations, and government agencies, as well.
Although my advice is sound and practical, I struggle with convincing some people of the value of my recommendations.
When planning and executing marketing strategies, the biggest and most preventable mistakes I observe are
(1) Skimping on needed marketing and public relations activities, even when the resources are available and the services are affordable. I have never seen a client who spent too much money or too much time on marketing.
(2) Failing to create or stick to even the most basic marketing and public relations plan. Being disorganized in their business practices.
(3) Postponing sales-generating marketing tactics when their business is doing well.
(4) Neglecting to update their websites, social media platforms, and public relations and marketing materials — sometimes for several years.
(5) Procrastinating until the last minute to launch promotions or public relations outreach. Not understanding the amount of time it takes to build a campaign.
(6) Abandoning marketing efforts before they have a chance to obtain results. Having unrealistic expectations.
(7) Fearing to make a change, or try a new tactic. Refusing to consider new options that are working well for their competitors, from a lack of familiarity with those options.
(8) Omitting the important step of reviewing and measuring their past efforts, a step that would help inform their goals and decisions.
(9) Disregarding the value of informed, external opinions and constructive criticism, even from customers. Clients can’t always “see” that their website looks disorganized, or that their marketing materials are outdated and ineffective. They are too “close” to it.
(10) Assuming too much. Taking on too many projects at once, or attempting too ambitious a project. It’s better to keep it simple, and sustained.
No one is perfect. Everyone lapses on following through on marketing plans sometimes. The important thing to identify now is: reviewing these pitfalls, can you see whether you put obstacles in the way of your success? Can you identify any patterns? Did you do the best you could do, or did you let fear, disorganization, or unrealistic expectations hold you back?
Looking back at 2011, what could you have done differently? What can you do differently in 2012?
My message for sole proprietors, businesses and nonprofits as we move into 2012 is this: you can’t complain that no one asked you to dance if you didn’t bother to put on your best clothes, or even come to the dance.
You have to make an effort if you want to see results. And that effort usually involves an investment of resources. It will cost something, but if your business model is sound, or your nonprofit organization is worthy, wise marketing choices will make a difference.
Marketing works when you work it. There is no magic to marketing or public relations, and there are very few shortcuts. Marketing your business or nonprofit takes effort and dedication, over time.
The end of the year is a time to regroup and plan. Now is the time to analyze your position, look at what your competitors are doing, and measure the results of your past efforts. It is time to set actionable goals, create a plan, and dedicate a budget to making that plan happen. You need to decide what you will handle yourself, what you will delegate to staff, and what you will contract out to smart, hard-working people who can help you.
Best wishes to you for a prosperous new year.
