Let’s be honest. Getting back into work after summer vacation can be a bit tough. My many years in the marketing industry have made it clear that even sales and marketing professionals can struggle to pick up the pace after a well-deserved and hopefully relaxing summer break. Where should you start, which emails should be prioritized first, and how do you get your plans back on track and, most importantly, implemented? Here are three steps to inspire you to kick off an effective second half of the year.
When developing your Q3/Q4 marketing plan, it’s important to start from where you left off before the summer break. Evaluate KPIs, performance data, and other relevant metrics from Q1 and Q2, gather insights from your sales team and customer feedback, and reflect on any successes or challenges—whether customer-facing or internal to the team. This is also a good time to analyze market trends and assess the competitive landscape. Has anything changed that needs to be addressed? Naturally, having the right systems in place helps in gaining this overview.
Now it’s time to focus on which problems should be prioritized. There are several factors to consider.
Skills & Resources:
Evaluate internal skills, as well as any contract workers, freelancers, or agencies you might be working with. What is working, and what needs improvement?
Technology:
Analyze the tools you’re using to get the job done and how well they work together (or don’t). What needs to be adjusted?
Operations:
Review the processes, systems, and structures that support your daily efforts and project management.
Projects:
Review the projects you have on the horizon for the rest of the year. When it comes to the Q3/Q4 marketing plan, it’s most effective to prioritize solutions that will help achieve overall business goals—rather than focusing too short-term on small, here-and-now tasks. Having big goals is important, but being able to meet them is even more so. Therefore, remember that the goals should be SMART, i.e., Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, & Time-Bound. Setting SMART goals will help you narrow down specific projects and steps you can take to address the gaps you’ve identified.
Now it’s time to create the plan. Break down each goal into projects. Rank each project by priority and assign budgets, roles, responsibilities, resources, and an estimated timeline for each project. When it comes to the timeline, work backward from the desired launch deadline and break it down into project milestones. And don’t forget to assign KPIs and metrics to each initiative if these haven’t already been defined in your SMART goals. Remember, it must be measurable and evaluated when you present it at the end of the year.
A marketing plan should be a living document, flexible to opportunities that may arise, as well as changes in consumer behavior and market dynamics. However, don’t lose sight of your original priorities, but remain agile and responsive by regularly reviewing your Q3/Q4 marketing plan. It may be useful to incorporate “contingency plans” for potential disruptions, including extra time and resources to capitalize on new trends.
A well-defined Q3/Q4 sales and marketing plan will be the cornerstone to achieving results that have a measurable and meaningful impact on your company’s success. So, even if the beach is still tempting, I recommend that you get started and gain the necessary head start for the rest of the year.