At the beginning of each year, opening a new calendar marks a fresh start for many. It’s common to kick off the year with personal New Year’s resolutions to shape goals and focus for the next 12 months. By nature, marketers are ambitious, optimistic and forward-thinking. Setting (and achieving) goals is part of our DNA. To continually evolve and grow in an increasingly competitive environment, B2B marketers need to identify opportunities, make promises and institute change.
New Year’s Resolutions Suggestions
To fuel personal, professional and organizational growth, consider these four New Year’s resolutions for 2023 and beyond:
- Reevaluate and update your marketing plan.
We recently discussed the major takeaways of Content Marketing Institute’s annual content marketing report. The report revealed that 64 percent of the most successful marketers state they have a documented strategy, while only 40 percent of B2B content marketers have a written marketing plan in place. For marketing initiatives to succeed, businesses require dedicated resources. These resources include time, budget and committed team members with the skills and guidance to stay aligned with business objectives. A marketing plan spells out each of these essential components in detail, identifies objectives from the top down and shares information throughout the organization.
Start the new year with a written, reevaluated and updated marketing plan that addresses current organizational and communication goals amidst a constantly changing marketplace. Invite team members at all levels to contribute to this plan and make it a shared doctrine. Establish KPIs so goals can be evaluated and adjusted regularly throughout the year.
- Align communications with business operations and known challenges.
Compared to other industries, marketing has the capacity to adapt to trends and changing market needs quickly. This means when challenges occur across other areas of business, such as the long-term impacts of the pandemic still affecting manufacturing, transportation and the supply chain, marketing has a unique ability to offer support through communication to prospects, customers and other stakeholders. Make an active effort to align your marketing plan with business operations that are still facing challenges. Customers will gain a clearer idea of what is happening behind the scenes and how they can expect their product or service to be affected. Consistent and open communication both internally and externally promotes valuable transparency that creates more meaningful and fruitful customer relationships.
- Practice and foster a culture of empathy.
The word “empathy” has become a bit of a buzzword in recent years. Even so, it’s a valuable, enduring practice for individuals and businesses alike. Empathy, defined as the ability to understand and share the feelings of others, is not a new concept. Yet, its value in our globally connected world has intensified with our increased connection to new and varied perspectives across the world and online. Marketing, at its core, is communication. Use marketing to communicate brand perspectives. Also, to seek to understand the perspectives of customers, prospects, colleagues, and other connections by imagining yourself in their shoes. Practicing empathy brings people closer together, enables mutual understanding and promotes positivity in the workplace, leading to better and more meaningful relationships.
- Seek to attract and retain quality talent.
The state of employment for all industries has been rocky in recent years, especially since the summer of 2021, when approximately 11.5 million workers quit their jobs. In a disruptive marketplace, employment fluctuations haven’t waned. In fact, 36 percent of workers are seriously considering leaving their jobs in 2023. This has led to significant impacts on inflation, wage pressures, workplace environments and job satisfaction.
While many factors play a part in today’s state of employment, marketing has a significant role in attracting and retaining talent. External communications provide prospective employees with a clear idea of how they can fit into a team that supports them. Meanwhile, internal communications empower and support employees with the information, news and resources they need. To be effective, it is essential that communication channels are open both ways. Offer employees opportunities to provide feedback and impact decision-making. Consistent communication fosters a culture of connectivity, support and transparency—all key ingredients to retaining talent in 2023.
Alignment Leads to Success
The new year is the perfect time to establish personal and business goals. Yet, enthusiasm can dwindle as the months go on. In fact, only 12 percent of those who set New Year’s resolutions successfully achieve them. Why? Many people don’t set specific goals, lack support from their peers or fail to create a plan for success. To avoid this, seek out the input of all stakeholders to establish goals, strategies, tactics, responsible parties and a timeline. Then, document and communicate goals both large and small throughout the organization to unite all team members in responsibility for its success. This process cultivates a culture of mutual support and shared accountability informed by all levels of the business, creating a greater likelihood of a successful year. Happy New Year from Trade Press Services!
