Quick marketing wins for the start of the year

The start of the year can feel like jumping straight back on that treadmill of to-do's right after wrapping up the demands of the previous year. In the rush, there’s some basic initiatives that get missed to the detriment of future brand success and even stress reduction for marketing teams. 

Here’s a list of marketing practices to help you start the year off right in 2025: 

Planning 

1. Do you have your marketing plan in writing, and does it include a roadmap for the year? If not, start by outlining monthly marketing needs and then break it down into weekly increments.  
2. What goals and plans do your partners (agencies, consultants, freelancers, etc.) need to know about? Communicate major events, product launches and other initiatives in writing to share with all partners so they are better prepared to support you. 

 

Communications 

1. Start the new year with a social media audit to review and identify which channels are working best for your brand. 
2. Of course, the beginning of the year is also a natural moment to layout your communications planning from newsletters, annual and ESG reports, social media, website posts, press releases, influencer plans, tradeshow communications and more. Be sure to add these initiatives to your marketing roadmap.  
3. Take time to audit your email marketing performance from 2024 and list out what changes and goals you have for this marketing medium in the new year. 

 

Performance Marketing 

1. For those brands that rarely adjust their pay-per-click (PPC) campaigns, now is the time to review your campaigns and keywords and to ensure they remain relevant for the new year. 
2. While you are approaching web-related audits and planning (detailed below), consider conducting an SEO audit to ensure you’re ready to take advantage of changing search and brand discovery behaviors. 
3. For brands with brick-and-mortar locations, perform a location data audit to verify that your addresses, phone numbers, hours and other details are up to date. Check your platforms, including Google, social media, Yelp and the many other outlets that inform your customers.  

 

Creative & brand 

1. Assess your buyers and any changes that have occurred over the past year. Make necessary updates to your buyer personas, including changing media habits and buyers' journey. Bring your Sales team into the discussion to gain their buy-in. 
2. Does your brand book need refreshing, such as changes to your color or font palettes? If your photography or imagery style has evolved, be sure to organize those shifts as well. 

 

Website 

1. Just like with other marketing tools, dedicate time to complete a full year analytics review for your website and track YOY trends. 
2. Take the new year as an opportunity to review, and if necessary, refresh your website analytics approach, ensuring everything from UTMs to event tracking are set up correctly.  
3. Build out your website iteration plans for the new year, integrating budget planning and upgrade timelines into your marketing roadmap calendar. 

This list could go on further, but you can see a pattern of planning, auditing and updating that will give your brand the tune-up it deserves to keep performing throughout the year.  
 

Happy marketing! 

:: Jason Therrien, CEO