There’s still a couple of months before 2024, so it may seem like there’s enough time for your business to prepare. However, if you want to get ahead, now is actually the best time to start planning for the new year.

This guide doesn’t cover every sales and promotional opportunity for each holiday next year. It’s not a quiz on sales and offers either. It’s simply meant to help you start thinking of a plan before it’s too late to act.

Set Clear Goals

Although this may seem obvious, one of the best things you can start doing to prepare for the new year is figuring out clear business goals. Assess your strengths and weaknesses, and set specific goals to leverage your strengths and address your weaknesses.

Avoid setting broad goals as they can be impossible or ineffective. For example, instead of a generic goal like “aim for more sales”, focus on specific objectives like “increasing average order value (AOV)” or “attracting more repeat buyers”. These goals are achievable, actionable, and will contribute to your business’s growth through strategic planning.

Conduct Market Research

Make sure to always thoroughly understand your target audience – their current preferences, needs, and aspirations, as well as their potential for growth. By gaining insights into the individuals who purchase from you and comprehending the underlying motivations behind their choices, you will be better equipped to optimize your selling strategies and foster deeper connections with your customers.

Your overall goal is to ensure that your marketing efforts seamlessly align with the desires and expectations of your audience. While simultaneously providing them with clear and compelling calls to action that drive sales and promote the value of your business’s products or services.

Develop a Content Strategy

After gaining insight and doing research, your next step should be to plan a content strategy. Where does your customer/client base spend most of their time? Do they like Instagram more than Facebook, or vice versa? Questions like that will help guide your planning process and organize a strategy by interests and platforms that will be highly beneficial.

If your website traffic is high, try a blog post. If you have a large social media following, then more time in that space is ideal. Don’t treat all forms of content as equal. Your buyers do not use their devices and time that way, so plan accordingly.

Explore Partnerships

Partnerships are a valuable resource for business growth, benefiting both eCommerce and service providers in multiple ways.

Analyze your competitors and similar businesses. Find out their strengths and your weaknesses. If your target audience is different from theirs, forming a partnership can be very advantageous.

It doesn’t even have to be about selling; having access to their audience alone can be valuable. Think about collaborating on social media campaigns, hosting workshops together, or organizing Q&A sessions to facilitate learning and offer customers more opportunities to explore their interests.

Looking For Support?

Make the most of the new year with our help! We have two new services: “One-on-One Consulting” and “The Ad Optimization Blueprint”. With these, Nicole will assist you in setting up, fixing, and maximizing your ads potential. We also provide “Done-For-You” ads management service, a 6-month “1:1 Marketing Strategy” session; and we even offer Inclusive Design Packages for social media graphics, Facebook covers, logos, branding, and so much more.

Whatever you need, our team is ready to support you and provide everything necessary for a successful year. Contact us today and let’s embark on this exciting journey together!