Happy new year, friends!   We’ve been away from our blog for a while — putting in overtime on our new marketing automation software coming this spring.  We hope you’re as excited about the year ahead as we are, and we’re excited to share all of our latest “marketing tips from the trenches” with you in the New Year.

By now you should have finished this year’s business plan with specific, measurable business goals such as total gross revenue, total profit, total new customers, total renewed customers, and ROI for your marketing budget.

Business Goals for the New Year

If you haven’t finalized your business goals for the New Year, we strongly encourage you to do so.  And if you’re not familiar with the goals your company has set, find out!  (Even if you’re not involved in setting or tracking these numbers, everything you do should help your company achieve them in some way.  If you know what you’re shooting for, you can do a better job contributing to your company’s success.)

Beyond your business goals, consider 1-3 intriguing new year’s resolutions for your own professional life. I say “intriguing” because you should be truly excited to work on these resolutions.  Otherwise … well, you know what happens.  And if you choose only 1-3 key goals, it will be easier to stay motivated and energized.

So for my first post of the year, I’d like to offer these professional resolution ideas to get you started.  Post your own thoughts and suggestions in the comments area as well!

1. Improve my financial acumen so I can better evaluate marketing investments and results.
2. Truly understand the wants and needs of my customers.
3. Lead an initiative to break down barriers between the sales and marketing functions.
4. Break down barriers between other functions in my company.
5. Network and become more involved in my industry.
6. Get up-to-date on (and start using!) new technologies that can help me connect with customers and work more effectively.
7. Launch an important new project for my company.
8. Raise my profile in my organization.
9. Win a well-deserved promotion or new job.
10. Understand the trends that will affect and change my industry in the years ahead.

And don’t forget … once you’ve identified 1-3 resolutions, define a timeframe and your measurement criteria so you’ll know when to celebrate your success!

All the best to you!