The new year comes and goes so quickly, doesn’t it? Once we reach the 4th of July, it seems like we’re already counting down to the next year and the new opportunities available for marketers to plan for the coming months. Are you worried about how you’re going to hit your goals? Managing your budget? Planning for 2023? You SHOULD be! Here are 10 things to keep in mind as we enter the second half of the year.
10 Things Every Marketer Should Be Worried About Right Now:
The Summertime Analytics Slump
It’s a sad but true reality, as soon as the summer months roll around each year, people get outside, on airplanes, and take road trips to experience the summer vacation. As marketers, we should be cognoscente of this truth and keep an eye on the impact it will have on our website, social media, email marketing, and overall results due to lack of engagement.
Pace to Reach Annual Goals
Following our first worry above, the next question marketers should be asking is “am I on pace to meet my annual goals?” Your grand plan can be hindered if you take a hit during the summer months and if you don’t have steps to improve your marketing performance identified, keep reading…
Marketing Budget Spending
Along with goals, marketers should be taking account of the marketing dollars that have been spent this year to determine what is actually needed to achieve those goals while meeting the budget. If we’re offering any advice for new and seasoned marketers it’s this – spend what you need to get the results you want. Of course, a budget is called a budget for a reason, there is not an endless supply of money available for the marketing you want to do. So, we encourage you to take the money that you DO have to spend and get those results so you are able to secure a budget for 2023 and beyond.
Opportunities to Increase Activity/Results
Take a look at your pace toward your goals and budget to uncover opportunities that may help you boost results. Determine what you should do, then plot a course for the next half of the year to win in all areas of marketing and budget spending.
What’s Trending and How to Lean In
July is a great time to take a look at new trends that have formed throughout the year and lean in with that available budget we talked about. Look toward brand idols to watch and learn about what’s cool and on point with marketing these days and try some new tricks to get you up to speed to end the year looking like a pro.
What Buyers Are Looking for NOW
Ask your sales team or your buyers directly to understand what is selling and determine how you can better position the products you’re marketing to serve that need and fulfill that demand.
What Tools Sales Could be Using to Sell Smarter
If you think of your sales team as your internal customer, marketers should be polling the sales team in July to ask about what’s been working and what they might need to help them sell, better, and smarter for the rest of the year. Mid-year is a great time to take inventory of sales materials, make updates and sharpen your tools to ensure your sales team is equipped and ready to close the deal while developing a dependency on marketing.
Fall Tradeshow & Events Season
We don’t know why but fall seems to be the biggest time of year for tradeshows and great opportunities for networking events. From SEPC’s Southern Innovations to the Washington Conference and the IFPA Global Produce and Floral Show all taking place in September and October, your marketing should be preparing NOW to deliver while these critical events are in motion.
Holiday Long-lead Media Connections
If your product is branded and sold on store shelves in the USA, wait no more before you devise a strategic plan for connecting to long-lead media connections that can and will publish stories about your products to encourage consumption. DMA’s public relations team is AWESOME and highly successful when getting our clients’ brands and products published in both trade and national, consumer publications. Can you tell I’m proud of them?
Content Planning August through January
Is there anything worse than sitting down to plot a content schedule without having any content prepared? Oof… August and September are the perfect months to hunker down and use your available marketing budget to prepare content for the holidays that get people searching for food inspiration like Halloween, Thanksgiving, Hannukah, Christmas, and New Year’s! If you’re worried you don’t have enough money – think again! DMA’s social media and content creation team have your back. Contact us and let’s talk content to get you prepped and ready to yield awesome results this fall and winter with great recipes, photos, and videos people crave and want to see more of on their feed.
No matter how you’re feeling this July, know this: you have time to make it all the way, marketer! Take these tips and use them to your advantage to end the year strong and prepare for another killer marketing program in the year ahead.
