Q4 approaching – plans for 2022?

I did a poll in mid-September so fairly recently, about marketing plans for 2022- the majority of responses said that next year they were going BIGGER! Which is great.

A lot of companies have had a bumper year and maybe now there’s a greater understanding of digital marketing, new channels of marketing like podcasting is really taking off, we’re more used to seeing ads and promo …AND … we’re reading and the creative sector has opened up to smaller firms being just as capable as the larger firms. Fantastic news all round and a step in the right direction.

But what should you do with your marketing plan for next year?

My top piece of advice; know yourself, know why you’re different and invest where you know your target clients are looking. It takes being an editor of your business’ brand and also a being a firm strategist and planner.

Here’s some stats on typical marketing spend that you might consider;

-??????“Rule of thumb 5% of business turnover should be spent on marketing” [Source 1: a hootsuite article]

-??????According to BDC (the bank for Canadian entrepreneurs), the overall marketing budget varies depending on whether you’re marketing to consumers or to other businesses so here’s some examples; [Source 2: BDC]

o??Small businesses (<20 employees): $30,000 (~￡17,300)

o??Mid-sized businesses (20-49 employees): $60,000 (~￡34,600)

o??Large businesses (50 employees or more): more than $100,000 (~￡57,660)

-??????Marketing budgets have fallen to 6.4% of companies’ revenue this year from 11% last year (2020), according to the annual CMO Spend Survey by research firm?Gartner?Inc. The new level is the lowest since the survey began in 2012 and the first time it has dipped below 10%, Gartner said. [Source 3: WSJ] ?

These figures may seem like high numbers to those not spending much beyond an annual event or sponsorship each year but with the right strategy targeting growth and close monitoring, it will lead to a strong ROI. Positioning your business brand in terms of look & feel and copy for those larger clients is transformational to any business.

Depending on your sales strategy and previous successes in marketing initiatives but the following categories of marketing spend need to be considered;

1)???Brand Impact and Copy Review

2)???SEO, Google Ads, PPC

3)???Content Strategy & Assets

4)???Awards

5)???Events

6)???PR

7)???Social

8)???Website

9)???Influencer Strategy

10) Articles + blogs

The above list should have answers that intermingle and feed off each other and into different categories.

It should feel natural to who your business is but also be bold and inspiring, driving your business forward.

What do you think? What are you including for your 2022 plans and not?

Comment below, let’s discuss it all! And best of luck with the plans.

Zara / EXT MKTG / [email protected] / www.extmktg.co.uk