2022 is over and we’re looking to the future – while learning from the past. So, instead of this being a ‘You should’ list for your marketing for the new year, I’m going to share with you the marketing habits I’m focusing on for 2023. My wish is that this inspires you and sets you up for your 2023 marketing.
Realism
I’ve seen good businesses cave under the self-imposed pressure of unrealistic marketing expectations. I’ve almost given up under my own self-imposed unrealistic marketing expectations!
Marketing takes twice as long as we often think to set up, run, correct, run again, improve and manage. And it can take twice as long as we hope / pray/want for the results we want – normally more sales, more money in.
This lack of realism causes good marketing plans to get thrown out too early. It causes people who are good at marketing to doubt themselves. It causes unnecessary pressure and stress.
So, for 2023, I am adopting a healthy realism, based on past data and experience, when it comes to marketing. Combined with my natural optimism, it will lead to a more enjoyable year.
Structure
I like having a plan and (mostly) sticking to it. Why? Because it is one less thing to think about on a daily basis. Yes, it requires effort up front to sit down and work through my strategic marketing plan.
It requires effort to nail down who my ideal customers are and segment my audience. But once those two ‘biggies’ are done, it gives me a structure I can follow and my marketing boils down to these questions:
- Should I do this bit of marketing? Does it suit my audience? (Nope – move on!)
- Is it worth trying to do this? Do my audience want it? (Yep – get on and do it!)
Having the structure of a strategic marketing plan is great.
Then there is the day-to-day structure. I recently shared my highly complicated 
weekly social media plan:
| Mon | Tue | Wed | Thur | Fri | Sat / Sun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Video of what's on this week - LI Page | Post on FB page | Post in LI members only group | LI page - share someone else's content | Scheduled LI page | Scheduled IG and FB - one post each |
| Post in LI members only group | Hit Like on companies on list IG, FB, LI | Scheduled TW, IG | |||
| Video of what's on - IG / FB | LI page - marketing wisdom post | Post on FB page - marketing wisdom | |||
| Scheduled FB, IG - link it to the latest insight if applicable |
Actually, it’s highly doable because I designed it that way.
I need something that gives my week on social media structure. This means when I’m busy, I can just look at this plan and go, ‘Ooh, Tuesday. Time to post on Facebook!’ rather than sit there, trying to remember what I have done on each social channel so far that week, fail to remember, have to check, and then realise it’s time for my next meeting, and the opportunity is lost.
So, for me, 2023 is going to be to keep up the marketing habit of having structure so I know what marketing to do, when and why.
Focus
I find it so easy to lose focus. There’s so much I want to do, and so much I could do and oh! This problem has come up that I need to solve NOW! – but this other thing would be so awesome if I could make this happen.
When your brain is buzzing and you can see all the options and possibilities, it’s exciting and fun until it becomes overwhelming and chaotic, which is why focus is crucial.
Here are the questions that help me focus:
- Will this help me get closer to my goals?
- Can I actually afford to do this now in terms of money, energy and effort?
- What happens if I don’t do it? Does it matter? How much? And who to?
Focus also comes when you have that structure of a strategic approach to your marketing – you know where you are going and which customers you want, so focus is much easier.
Joy
As I reflected on 2022, I realised that I could too easily lose the joy in what I do. I LOVE marketing as a business discipline. I LOVE empowering marketers and business owners by showing them how to cut through the crap, see clearly, and figure out what marketing to do, when and why. But often, along the way, I lose this joy.
We’re all different, but for me to stay mentally well, I need my work to include and be fun, spread joy, and make a positive difference to people and their organisations.
While realism, structure and focus are crucial to allow me to keep moving forward and achieve our version of success, joy is the glue that holds it all together.
I find joy in:
- Hearing how our members are getting on and how they are learning to love marketing
- Producing a good piece of content that I know is awesome (I’m currently working my way through our Scale Sales programme – because hey, what’s the point in designing a kick-ass marketing programme if you don’t put your own business through it? – and taking the real joy out of how good it is and appreciating all the work that has gone into it)
- Running events full of our interesting, inspiring members all sharing their experiences
- Being outside.
- Reading/seeing/hearing about people who have made a positive difference – big or small.
I could go on, but my final marketing habit for 2023 is to infuse even more of The Marketing Spaces with that joy, that love of life and what we’re doing in it.
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Enjoy 2023. Let’s make it a good one.
Kara
