Bottom Line // November-December 2023
Terry Packer // MIRA Director of Marketing & Business Development
Vanessa Denha Garmo // Founder, Epiphany Communications: Coaching & Consulting
Creating Communication Goals for 2024
This past September, I attended the Annual Western Wayne Banquet where former Detroit Lion Lomas Brown was the keynote speaker. While engaged in an interview with Tony Ortiz from WWJ 950, he said something that truly resonated with me as a leadership coach.
“You have to be a good listener if you want to be a good leader,” said Brown, that night.
That is absolutely true, especially when it comes to setting goals.
As we know, it is common to resolve to do something or change something in the new year, like losing 50 pounds. Instead of resolutions that often set up people for failure, I encourage clients to create a list of goals for the New Year and then a game plan to achieve them.
It’s not enough just to say, I want to do this, or I want to do that; you need action plans in place.
First, listen to what your team has to say and what their goals are for the company and their careers. Leaders engage in company listening tours to gauge the status of the company and learn what changes need to be made.
In his book Atomic Habits, author James Clear focuses on the systems we have in place to meet our goals. That is imperative. As a communications strategist, I coach clients into creating plans or systems to reach their goals.
Clear also talks about how small habits can make a significant difference. We must do things daily, weekly, monthly, and quarterly to reach our goals. It’s not about one big success, it’s about small things that lead to that big success.
When you write down a goal, it is important to create a plan or a system that will help you reach
the goal.
Perhaps the goal is to reach more clients or customers through your communication platforms. Maybe, you want to increase your social media followers or achieve better engagement with your audience. Here is a checklist of what you might consider as part of your system, when it comes to social media.
Consistent Posting: Maintain a regular posting schedule so that your audience knows when to expect new content. This helps keep your followers engaged and interested. System: I will post at least three times a week. I will schedule the posts ahead of time once a week.
Quality Content: Focus on creating high-quality, valuable content that resonates with your target audience. This can include informative articles, entertaining videos, inspiring images, or thought-provoking quotes. System: Every Saturday I will research and write content for my social media posts.
Engage with Your Audience: Respond to comments and messages promptly. Engaging with your followers builds a sense of community and encourages more people to follow you. System: Every morning at 8 a.m. I will respond to any comments on social media.
Use Hashtags: Use relevant and trending hashtags in your posts to increase discoverability. Research popular hashtags in your niche and incorporate them into your content. System: I will research the best hashtags when I am creating my content on Saturdays.
Collaborate with Others: Partner with influencers or individuals in your industry for shoutouts, collaborations, or guest posts. This can help you tap into their existing followers. System: Once a week, I will research people and organizations that I can partner with to help promote my business including partnering with MIRA. Consider sponsoring a MIRA event.
Cross-Promote: Promote your social media accounts on other platforms, your website, and in your email signature. Cross-promotion can help you reach a wider audience. System: Every time I am on social media, I will look for ways to cross-promote my business.
Run Contests and Giveaways: Organize contests or giveaways that encourage people to follow, like, or share your content. Make sure the prizes are relevant to your target audience. System: First Friday of every month, I will run a contest or giveaway promotion.
Post at Optimal Times: Research and identify the times when your target audience is most active on social media. Schedule your posts accordingly to maximize visibility. System: I will schedule my posts at the optimal time for my audiences.
Optimize Your Profile: Ensure that your profile is complete and professional-looking. Use a clear profile picture, write a compelling bio, and provide contact information. System: Once a quarter, I will evaluate our business profiles and update as we see fit.
Share User-Generated Content: Encourage your followers to create content related to your brand or products and share it on their own profiles. Repost this user-generated content on your own account with proper credit. System: Each day I will find a post to repost on my pages that helps my business better collaborate with others.
Paid Advertising: Consider using paid advertising options on social media platforms to promote your account or specific posts. This can help you reach a larger audience quickly. System: Once a month, I will boost a post or create an online marketing ad.
Monitor Analytics: Regularly review your social media analytics to understand which types of content perform best and adjust your strategy accordingly. System: Once a month, I will review how our social media is improving.
Stay Informed and Adapt: Social media algorithms and trends change frequently. Stay informed about platform updates and adapt your strategy to take advantage of new features and changes. System: Once a month I will research the latest developments with each platform we use for our business.
Be Authentic: Authenticity and transparency can help you build trust with your audience. Share behind-the-scenes content, your firsthand experiences, and your brand’s values. System: At least one post of the week will demonstrate our company’s personality through our team members.
Networking: Engage with others in your niche or industry. Comment on their posts, share their content, and build relationships. This can lead to mutual followers and collaborations. Tag MIRA on your social media posts and attend MIRA events. System: At least three times a week, our company page will comment on posts of others we follow or are connected to. I will attend at least one MIRA event in 2024.
With social media, it takes time. It is all about building a genuine and engaged following, so be patient and persistent in your efforts. Avoid buying fake followers, as they won’t provide real engagement or benefit your brand in the long run. Focus on building a community of followers who are genuinely interested in your content and what you have to offer.
With goal setting, it is about creating the systems or strategic plans that will help you achieve those goals. It is important to write down your goals and how you will achieve each one of them, including a timeline.
Examine Your 2024 Marketing Goals
This is often the busiest time of year for many of our members, however, I wanted to take a step back for a moment and help you get a jump start on your marketing for 2024!
Take ten minutes this week and ask yourself; what are your top three marketing goals for 2024? Is it to increase your monthly lead count? Maybe you want to focus on your brand and reaching new eyeballs is important. What about your Google presence? Whatever it is, determine those three priorities and commit to them now. Find out now who you`ll need to work with and what you`ll need to do.
Examine each one and write down what success looks like a year from now. This way you always have a clear and concise vision of what you want to do and exactly what you want to achieve. By committing to them now, you`re not only getting a head start on your competition but you are telling yourself THIS is what is important to me.
One more thing, you can’t start to plan for next year without having all your records from 2023 in hand. Get out a pen and paper or your laptop and start answering some very important questions.
Questions to ask yourself:
How much did you spend on marketing last year as a percentage of sales?
Did your marketing perform up to your expectations?
Are you increasing or decreasing your marketing budget for next year?
Are you planning on incorporating any new media?
It’s important you know what you liked and what you disliked so you can make the necessary changes in the upcoming year. The more specific and planned out your marketing, the better it will perform for you. Have a plan!
Last, but not least, remember to include MIRA in your marketing plan in 2024. Not sure what we offer? Send me an email at tpacker@miramw.org and I will be happy to send you a complete list of everything MIRA members have access to too.
Vanessa Denha Garmo is the founder of Epiphany Communications: Coaching & Consulting. She brings nearly 30 years of experience in communications and professional writing to MIRA. As a coach, she focuses on leadership, management, career development and team building and as a communications strategist and writer, she focuses on creating content for various platforms.
Terry Packer brings more than 24 years of marketing experience to the MIRA Team. Terry`s background includes media planning and campaign execution for small and medium size businesses.