It’s the new year, so it’s time to mark your calendar and address your brand in 12 monthly action plans. For each month, develop targets for these initiatives.
This way, you are better able to gage your success each month. If you successfully carry out the entire year’s brand activities, you WILL increase business, so let’s get started!
January
Start your business year off respecting those around you who are most responsible for your success. These stake holders are your employees, suppliers and customers. Treat each of these groups with the level of respect they deserve. A genuine appreciation for those who support you is key in strengthening the foundation of your brand. Your entire reputation starts with these people.
February
Corporate communication is important in keeping your stake holders in the loop. Good communications keep rumors from taking hold and you get information that will help you keep productivity humming. Many businesses waste precious time correcting bad communication instead of getting it right the first time. Put together a process to keep the correct information going to the right people in a timely manner.
March
Your current brand is hinged on your reputation. A great brand allows you to reach beyond commodity and allows you to enjoy pricing freedom. Building relationships with clients will give your brand staying power. Spend March strengthening relationships and identifying issues to shore up your brand.
April
Fast return business has to be return customers. If your brand is strong, use April to re-connect with past customers. Put together a program of connection, allowing time for sales to adequately contact and re-visit people. Use free services as a hook to get back in the door. Every positive response is a warm lead to additional business.
May
With spring in the air, the time is ripe for nurturing your referral potential. Develop a referral program to help stake holders recommend your business. Customers who have a healthy relationship with you will love to be your advocate and appreciate your assistance in telling your story. Another important component in any referral program is your opportunity to send business their way. Referral is a two way street.
June
As entertaining season heats up, take the month of June to get your brand message fine tuned. Events and get-togethers are a great time tell the story of what your business does. Ideally you have a positioning strategy that compels the listener. Stay away from corny cliches like. “our people make the difference!” Statements like this are so much fluff and do nothing to differentiate you.
July
This July, do an inventory of which organizations your business is a member of. Ideally organizations in which customers (existing and targeted) are also members. See what the opportunities are to get your people involved and promote your business.
August
During the dog days of summer, it is a great time to re-visit your marketing plans and see how you are doing so far. Does the advertising statement reflect current culture and address benefits to your customers? Many customers are away during this month, allowing you to focus inward.
September
Use September to analyze the culture of your market. Are there any dark clouds on the horizon you’d be wise to address? Organize a management meeting to get a good feel of what the mood is in your category. Then make a coordinated plan to tackle any challenges and exploit any opprtunities.
October
Get community spirit going during this month. What can you do to give back to your community. What areas are of special interest to you. A good social conscience is great for your brand. It also shows reminds your stake holders they we are all part of a community.
November
Education. Use this month to read, read, read. Upgrade all skill sets within the organization to make sure that your business is on the cutting edge. Customers rely on your business to provide solutions that reflect modern practices. As they say, “a mind is a terrible thing to waste”.
December
December is the perfect month to reflect on the past year and appreciate all the effort that makes your brand as respected as it is. It is also time to slow down and enjoy your family and friends. Another year is around the corner, so this is the month to pat yourself on the back for a brand well done.
Your brand and it’s power are an ongoing work in progress. Nurturing it need not be done in a hurry. Take the time to do it justice. Have a great and profitable year!
Thanks for this great one-year plan post. It is very useful to make plan for the whole year, and if you stick with it results will come for sure.
I glad you find it useful Jessica. Sometimes we need a little process to help kick start our activities, so I felt this monthly to-do list might be of benefit.
Thank You! What an awesome post! I will always try to remember, to thank those related to my sucess, we so quickly move on, we don’t take the time to remember those that have helped us through every aspect of our lives. Appreciation goes a long ways, so therefore I want to thank you , for such an outstanding article,Stopped me in my tracks, and made me think! I will be personally getting in touch wherever possible, and will phone and e-mail a lot of people. Thanks for such great articles, look forward to see what else you have in store for 2009, The very best of everything goes out to you and your family!
This is one of the best posts I’ve seen for planning for the new year. Thanks Ed!
JR
Thanks JR, I appreciate your comments.
hey Ed,
Nice calendar. Can you put some holidays in it though? 🙂
April is a good month. Appreciate and cultivate repeat customers. It’s much better to keep past customers than to have to find more and more new ones to replace them if they go elsewhere.
It wouldn’t be bad to have a couple of “Aprils” in your year! 🙂
~ Steve, Pinnacle Trade Show Displays
I don’t think there is such a thing as a brand holiday. If some fool wants to take April 1st as his day to take his brand off the radar for a day it might be a plan 🙂
How’s biz out west Steve?
hey Ed,
What, no (brand) holidays! You’re a tough boss! 🙂
Biz out west is good but it seems like the economy might be slowing down a bit, but it’s hard to tell since this is typically a slower time of the year in the trade show biz. Let’s hope that 2009 is good for everyone!
~ Steve, Pinnacle Trade Show Displays
If we stay focused and positive – I’m sure it will be. I don’t pay any attention to the “financial shows and geniuses” on cable. In hind sight they all saw it coming. They don’t have a clue. I see the financial shows as a self-fulfilling prophesy of gloom. I choose not to participate.
Hey Ed,
Good attitude. I do have to chuckle when I watch the financial news. It seems like the reporters/pundits have a list of the good news of the day and the bad news of the day. If stocks went up it was because of the good news, If stocks went down it was because of the bad news. Funny thing is they always are able to say WHY it happened AFTER it happens, but I’ve never heard anyone able to tell me where the market will close (up or down) at the BEGINNING of the day. I’d listen to that person!
Oh well, pardon the rant. It’s probably good I don’t trade stocks! 🙂
~ Steve, Pinnacle Trade Show Displays
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Thanks for telling the secret of the success from the Calender Table. I have never seen a post like this. I m going to start a business after reading this post only.
Congratulations Ahmed. I’m sure you’ll enjoy your business ahead.
Demand: What business are you planning on starting?
Great post I never thought about breaking branding into monthly segments. You have a lot of great ideas but the best one in my opinion is taking care of returning customers. To me these customers help provide stability to your company especially when your a small business.
Thanks Mike. I pay particular attention to past-customers. Every now and then I come up with a reason to re-connect.
Also Mike, I forgot to mention one way I use to re-connect. I subscribe to a free service called, http://www.askareporter.com
3 or 4 time a day I get a listing of journalists looking for sources for stories, and any customers or prospects for that matter that match the criteria from these requests, I email the publicity opportunity to them. Several of my clients and myself from that matter have gotten interviews from this service.
Check it out, it’s great.