4 Must-Haves for 2016 Marketing Calendars

With each new year comes new challenges and musts for marketers tasked with growing a business. Here are four components that no 2016 marketing calendars should be without.

With less than two months until the start of the New Year chances are that you’ve already got the first few months of your 2016 marketing calendars already filling up (or they should be!)  No matter the size of your business or the industry it represents, here are four must-haves for your 2016 marketing plan.

4 x 2016 Marketing Calendar Essentials

Mobile-Friendly Everything

It’s official; more than half of emails are opened on mobile devices and for the first time ever, more than half of all Google searches now occur on mobile devices. A mobile-friendly website isn’t just nice to have, it’s a must-have. Likewise, your email marketing format should be delivered in mobile-friendly form as well.  As Google continues to improve its algorithms not just for search but for search on mobile devices, businesses that publish high quality content and communications which are easy for mobile readers to open, navigate, read and take the next step will win the battle for digital engagement.

Relevant Engagement

Throwing promos and ads up against the wall has never been a very good marketing strategy, but it’s never been a worse approach than it will be in 2016. Consumers demand not just transparency but brand experiences that have no boundaries at all. Businesses that master the art of evoking emotion and engagement among members of their target audiences will be those that strengthen customer relationships, garner true customer loyalty (not just loyalty to rewards) and word of mouth advocacy.

Brands must be prepared to start conversations that have nothing to do with their products and services and everything to do with what really interests members of their target audiences. They need to become thought leaders, trend setters, educators and journalists, bringing information that matters to their audiences.

Ultimately, marketers need to realize they aren’t selling products or services, and they aren’t even selling solutions. They are selling their own authority and relevance.  This is the approach that transcends price objections and it’s the thinking that enables a business to adapt and change over time. Instead of being stuck on one type of product or service deliverable, business owners that focus on relevance stand a better chance of keeping up in a world where consumer opinion and the competitive landscape can change overnight.

Micro Strategies, Macro Focus

Maybe this is just my fancy way of saying that nothing great ever happened that didn’t start with something small. A small idea that got bigger. A small first step that became a big journey. A small marketing tactic that produced big gains. Even big companies like Amazon realize that they can’t always be all things to all people. Your big hairy audacious business goal must be broken down into micro strategies that allow you to reach the right people at the right time on the right channel with the right message.

Goals and Measures

No, this isn’t a new concept nor is it a particularly exciting one for many business owners and marketers. More interested in activities we consider productive or creative, it’s easy for us to forget that for every marketing activity, there should be a specific goal and for every marketing strategy, there should be targets, timelines and measures.

Where goals and measures do pay off is in measurable progress; however, to move any needle significantly usually takes time and perseverance. As you map out targets, timelines and measures, make sure you include incremental benchmarks that will tell you whether you’re heading in the right direction and let you know what is (or isn’t) working, so that you can make adjustments along the way or repurpose resources if results show you that you aren’t on course.

If you haven’t done a lot of formal goal tracking – because you’ve been too busy building a business! – you’re not alone. Start small. Decide on one key goal for each area of your marketing plan. For instance, a goal for social media would be to increase # of followers by a specific percentage or number by the year’s end, which would easily break down into quarterly, monthly and weekly goals. Then for each of these benchmark goals, write down three marketing activities that you’ll do to achieve them.

It doesn’t have to be any more complicated than that, but it can be. If you want to dial down deeper than that, think about adding social followers in terms of industries, regional areas or other demographics that mean they are likely buyers or client types.

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The first of my 2016 marketing calendars is already out, and more are on the way. Get the 2016 Marketing Calendar for Salon and Spa on Amazon in print format or digital format in the Kindle store – a great gift for hairdressers and beauty industry pros everywhere.