By Nyah Scott
Time is of the essence.
2020 has been a year of obstacles, overcoming hardship, and inspiring one another to find new ways to adapt to the ever-changing times. The year that felt like it would never end is finally coming to a close, but while you or your business were focused on navigating remote work or retaining clientele during the economic dip, were you keeping track of ideas and information for your 2021 business plan?
If not, don’t fret. It is recommended that public entities and businesses begin to formulate their next 52-week business plan around the concluding months of the year, so if you catch this blog post early on, you’re on the right track.
Past
If you or your business has not been doing this already, compile a readable review of your sales, deals, client /customer retention, comparative values against your year’s projections, and any other pieces of quantitative information relevant to your business. Check back on your old 52-week spreadsheet and see what goals you exceeded, barely met, or passed over entirely. Use this review to “calibrate” your goals for the upcoming year. While businesses usually number crunch in a collection of one “master” Excel sheet after another, creating a short recap of your past work that you can easily comprehend and reference years later will alleviate the stress of re-crunching the numbers when you need them later. Visualizers of data work perfectly for this– graphs, tables, and charts. Applications within Microsoft Office (Excel, Word, etc.), under Apple (Numbers, Pages, etc.), and other online computing and record-keeping platforms will usually offer data compilation into these visualizers, so you and your business won’t have to spend time crafting your own program for visual data output.
Present
Time to plan. Talk with your team, break out that fresh 52-week spreadsheet, and determine your short-term and long-term goals. Some of these goals may include updating branding, curating new additions to your media list, restructuring your marketing strategy, maintaining healthy business relationships, or increasing customer engagement and retention. Don’t forget to seek support in establishing your plan for the new year. Collaborative efforts will always produce more fruitful brainstorming and thought-out plans. In simpler terms, PR firms are here to help! Avoid tunnel vision within your business by enlisting the help of firms like The Goddard Company to take a holistic approach to PR, marketing, and online reputation management.
Future
With your updated business plan at hand, don’t allow the motivation felt at the end of this year dwindle as you enter the new year. In the era of low-cost marketing, the easiest way to build your business is staying in the public eye. Keep the “big picture” in mind while making sure your short-term tasks are manageable. It is a common occurrence that “New Year resolutions” lose steam by February or March. That is why consistency is key– consistency of goal completion, consistency of service or product quality, and consistency of effort.