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Alright, so the New Year is finally here, and you’ve probably made all those personal resolutions about becoming more organized and starting an exercise routine, but what about your marketing resolutions? For franchisees, it’s a great idea to set your tone for the New Year by making some marketing resolutions in addition to those personal aspirations!
1. Maintain Corporate Marketing Contacts
The New Year gets busy, and we have a tendency to fall out of touch with people—don’t let your franchise consultants or marketing managers at your corporate office be one of them! The more you communicate with your resources, the more you’ll learn about continuing to improve your business. If you don’t already, see if you can schedule a regular time for communicating with your corporate rep and make it a habit!
2. Create a Routine
After starting the first marketing resolution above, start adding some more regularly scheduled tasks to create a routine. Some of you may be reading this and convincing yourself that you’re just “not one of those organized people.” Well, you can be, and you will. Just start small. Think of two or three daily or weekly tasks that are crucial to your business. Even if you already do them, but on your own time, start scheduling a day and time to complete them, and use tools to help you. Some people use a desk calendar or e-mail reminders. Our favorite productive tool is OnePlace, which you can try for free. Whatever tool you use, start your routine small, and add to it as the year progresses.
3. Make a Quick Marketing Plan
Marketing plans are some of the most procrastinated tasks for franchisees, but they’re vital to your success. Jot down your marketing resolution goals and what you need to do to achieve them. If your franchise works with Bluewater, you should have received our Q1 Newsletter with 5 Easy Steps to a Successful 2011 Marketing Plan. If you missed the article or would like another copy, click here and we’ll send it to you!
4. Stick to Your Marketing Plan
If you think you’ll get too busy (and most of you will), try using marketing tactics that you can schedule in advance. Methods like E-mail and direct mail can be scheduled months in ahead of time, so you can set up a campaign while you’re thinking about it. Our clients that utilize our Online Direct Marketing Programs often set mail dates up according to season and their busy times of year.
5. Connect with Customers
Whether it’s a smile, a phone call, or a simple greeting or “thank you,” personal connections still go a long way in this computer age we live in. Choose a handful of customers at random each day, week, or month (depending upon your schedule) and make a point to connect with them on some level. I guarantee it will transform the culture of your business.
What other resolutions have you made for your franchise or small business in 2011?
We’d love for you to share and discuss!
MaKenzie is Bluewater's Marketing Community Manager. Spending several years in sales and marketing roles at a franchise level, MaKenzie has a unique appreciation for successful local campaigns. In her spare time, MaKenzie sings for the popular Twin Cities' cover band, FlashMob! She can always be found near good food, in Minneapolis eateries or her own kitchen.
