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It’s the New Year, which means another blank calendar to fill! Now is the time to sit down and plan out your year in advance for what your company will need in terms of print marketing. This will help you stay organized and align your schedule with key dates and events throughout the year. Below are a couple of things to keep in mind while you’re planning ahead.
Identify Key Dates and Events
The first step in this process is to list out all of the critical dates for your company. This may include holidays, industry-specific events or conferences, product launches, sales periods, and more. This will give you an idea of times when you will need campaign materials so can budget accordingly.
Seasonal Considerations
Another vital factor to consider is the time of year. Planning certain events or launches during a period that is already a high-sales time will be beneficial. For example, if you launch a new fragrance or beauty tool, certain times in the year will enhance your desire to purchase. Planning around seasons will aid the campaign planning as well.
Create a Calendar Template
There are many ways to create a calendar, whether physical or digital. You can go the old-fashioned route and write everything manually or use a digital calendar that may be integrated with an intranet so anyone in your company can view and access it. This choice may also be determined by the size of your company and if multiple employees need access.
Once your calendar type is nailed down, you’ll want to organize all of your key dates and events. Color coding will be helpful so anyone can quickly identify a holiday from a product lunch, for example. Include a section for notes, deadlines, team member responsibilities, etc.
Budget Integration
Integrating a print marketing budget into your calendar for each key event is also essential. This will help keep you financially on track throughout the year, while also showing you if there is any budget left over for anything that may pop up. Remember your typical print needs (business cards, stationery, etc.) while doing this step!
Merge Online and Offline Plans
Anything you have scheduled for print marketing should also merge into the digital world for a cohesive, omnichannel approach. Digital strategies to further promote the key events you are targeting with your print campaigns via email marketing and social media are integral.
Track Your Success
Including a way to track your success for all of the key event print campaigns is essential. Ways to do this are including a coupon code or offer, using a unique tracking phone number, adding a QR code, adding your web URL, or building a personalized landing page for the specific campaign.
In conclusion, planning out your print marketing calendar for the year is a process you won’t want to skip. It helps with organizing your key events or dates, gets you thinking about any seasonal considerations, helps allocate your yearly print budget, and pushes for digital integration. Adding a way of tracking your success will show you what may or may not work so you can plan more strategically in the coming year.
If you need help planning out your print marketing materials for the year, call AG Marketing Solutions at 610-337-8484.
