1. DEFINE YOUR VISION

Once you know where you're going with your brand, you can think about the ways how to get there. That's why it's definitely worth taking the time to think about this point.

2. ANALYSE YOUR CURRENT SITUATION

You must have heard many times about SWOT analysis - that is, the analysis of weaknesses, strengths, threats and opportunities. If you've been in the market for a long time with your brand and would like to move forward, pay particular attention to this point. Look at the brand more comprehensively from all sides - from the beginning of the brand and products to the communication and delivery of products to customers. Marketing is not just about one activity. It's a complex of many activities that, if they don't work, won't get you the desired result.

For an example - you will have beautiful communication on your social media, but communication with real customers or logistics won't work - will it get you to the result? Or if you have in your portfolio more luxurious and expensive products, but you target the products to the wrong target audience - will it get you to the result? It will not... You need to think about the brand in a more complexed pictures to make it all work.

3. WHO IS YOUR TARGET AUDIENCE?

This is the alpha omega of everything - if you know who your target customers are, then you start from this point with absolutely everything - from messaging, form of communication, choice of marketing channels, timing, etc. - it is based on that.

4. WHAT MAKES YOUR PRODUCT UNIQUE?

It is important to know what makes your product unique. How can your product help other people? What makes your brand unique from your competitors? These are all important questions that you should know the answers to.

5. WHAT ARE YOUR GOALS?

What are your business and marketing goals? What results do you want to achieve this year? And what are your goals for next year and the next 5 years? As we said in one of the previous articles, goals should follow the SMART rule (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound).

6. BRAND DISTRIBUTION AND PRICE

What does your distribution look like? Where do you sell your products? How do you sell them? What is the price for each product or product range? What is the brand's position in the market? Price, distribution and many other things depend on the market position.

7. HOW DO YOU WORK WITH CUSTOMERS?

Does customer service work well for you? Or if you are a small business, how do you communicate with customers? Do they get all the information openly and in a timely manner? Do you work regularly to improve the customer experience with your brand and company? These are also important points to include in your marketing strategy.

8. PREPARE A BRAND COMMUNICATION PLAN

Prepare a plan how your products will be presented in the market - including messaging, marketing channels and timing. What marketing channels will you communicate in and why? It is important to know not only where you will be with your brand and products, but also why you will be there. If it's a nice channel but you're not targeting properly your target audience, it's a waste of money to invest in it (unless you have an unlimited budget).

9. DIGITAL MARKETING

Digital marketing would normally be part of the previous point - but given its importance over the last few years, I've highlighted it separately. In addition to your social media plan, you should also know your plan for promotion and online advertising.

10. TECHNOLOGY AND INNOVATION

Keep an eye on current trends in your industry and consider how you can integrate them into your strategy. Do you see an area where innovation is needed? In which ones?

11.-12. TIMELINE AND BUDGET

What kind of strategy and plans would it be without knowing your budget and timing for each campaign and communication. It is important to have a regularly allocated budget for advertising. I will share with you exactly how to work with budget and timing in one of the future articles. This is a broader topic that deserves more space.

With a precise marketing strategy and plans, you'll be ready not only for the entire year 2024, but for the years ahead too. That's why it is worth it to take your time and address each point in detail. The better you are prepared, the better results you can achieve with your brand.

In the next article, we'll focus on one of the most important steps of any marketing strategy - defining your target audience, because that's where absolutely everything starts.

Have a wonderful New Year!