New Year Resolutions – Make a Plan

It is the time of year where people start to make all sort of resolutions and promises to themselves.  People promise they are going to get to the gym and eat right.  They are going to give more of themselves.  These are all good ideas.  The problem is that these are not easy things to do.  They are especially not easy to do if you don’t have a plan.  Whether we are talking about getting ourselves in shape or getting our businesses in shape, it comes down to the same thing: you must make a plan.

Let’s make a New Year Resolution right now:  I resolve to make a plan!

What is this plan going to be?  Well, it doesn’t really matter, except that you have a plan to do whatever it is you want to do.

As any other business owner, our goal is to grow our business.  We do this through exceptional, personalized service and by working with people and companies that are passionate about what they do.  Sounds good.  How do we do that?  Well, we have a plan, but you already knew that answer.

In the world on online and social media marketing it is vital that you have a plan.  There are people who we talk to about social media who say that social media marketing is as easy as posting on Facebook.  When people say this to me, I ask them what their goals are for Facebook?  How are they going to achieve that goal?   I also ask if they have the time to pay attention to social media while they are also out there trying to run their own business?

There are quite a few outlets on social media.  Each has their own flavor and each has their own audience.  Which ones are the right ones for you?  Once you decide that, what is your plan?

It all comes back to that main point.  What do you want to do?  Blog?  Ok, what is your voice going to be?  What is the goal of the blog?  Do you want to inform?  Do you want to sell? Do you want to set yourself up as a thought leader in your area?

Pinterest?  You going to just re-pin a bunch of stuff or are you going to organize your pictures in a way that makes sense?  Are you going to link those picture back to your website?  Twitter?  Are you prepared to jump into a platform which is a beast that cannot be fed?  Do you have the time or the temperament to be the voice of your brand?

Before you jump into what may seem to be an easy win, sit down and really plan out your strategy.  If it is something that you feel you cannot commit yourself to, don’t abandon and good idea, get in touch with people who can not only help you make your plan, but see it through as well.