2023 Year-End Marketing Checklist

As the year draws to a close, your plate is likely overflowing. That’s why we crafted this concise end-of-year marketing checklist to make sure you kick off 2024 with confidence.

This checklist is about the 3 P’s that are critical to your 2024 marketing strategy: People, Performance, and Partners.

#1: PEOPLE.
Your customers and employees are at the center of your success.

Understanding your customer – their wants, needs, shopping and buying behaviors, and online habits are fundamental to an effective marketing plan. When was the last time you conducted qualitative customer research? I don’t know about you, but my shopping and buying habits have changed a lot over the years. If your research is more than a couple of years old, then conducting customer research belongs in your 2024 plan.

Understanding your employees is also important. Do you have the right marketing professionals tasked with the right marketing initiatives? Do your marketing team members have strong working relationships with their counterparts in the sales and product groups? Does your marketing group understand that their job is to support your business and sales goals?

#2: PERFORMANCE.
It’s also time to scrutinize your marketing results versus goals. Sure, you review them regularly, but now’s the time to look at your 2023 goals and results as you plan for next year.

Your review should include an audit of the following:

1. Website performance
2. Social media impact
3. Email marketing effectiveness
4. How you’re using AI
5. Content needs, development, and output

#3: PARTNERS.
How about your external marketing partners? Does your digital marketing agency have the expertise to tackle what you need to accomplish in 2024? Are they bringing new ideas to you?

There’s a shift in the agency world towards niche boutiques. This can be advantageous as it allows you to secure precisely the talent needed for a specific project. However, it can also add complexity as you may end up managing multiple agency relationships.

Before the ball falls in Times Square, it’s a great time to evaluate the output from your agency partners. Do they have the chops to tackle what you hope to achieve in 2024? Don’t be afraid to modify an agency relationship, even if it means taking away projects that need a different expertise. Your goals are lofty for 2024. You need marketing partners that can deliver.

How about your software partners? Is your customer relationship management (CRM) software robust and does it integrate with your email marketing software? Are you using all the features offered by Google Analytics? Are you using or do you need to add search engine optimization (SEO) or social media management software? Is your software integrated to form an effective marketing stack?
Before you sign off on your 2024 marketing plan, use this checklist to ensure success next year.