It’s June! We are officially halfway through the year and there is no time like the present to talk about strategy. While you may have used the end of last year to strategize for this year, and you may have implemented a bunch of new things in January, using the middle of the year for a re-asses is a wonderful idea, and I am about to show you why.
Re-looking strategy mid-year is a good idea for several reasons. Although it is vital to have marketing and business strategies in place from the beginning of each year, having the flexibility to assess them and adjust where necessary could mean the difference between success and failure.
Do not give in to the temptation to slip into a proverbial hibernation this winter, if you are in the Southern Hemisphere. And take a minute before giving in to summer’s luscious offerings if you are in the North. Join us as we guide you through looking at your strategy one more time for the year and we can almost guarantee you will thank us later.
Why To Talk About Strategy Again
As a business owner or marketing manager, you likely strategized toward the end of last year. Your plans were based on last year’s successes and failures and you likely formulated a clear path to success for the whole year.
The thing about strategy is that, as the business, world, and your personal climates change, the strategy needs to change with it. And, what we don’t always realize is that plans that were set months before can sometimes become outdated simply because life has changed.
A wonderful concept I learned about from working with a client is that of growth mindset. This is the idea that we always have something to learn, and are always willing to grow. I love this idea, especially as a marketer and writer!
The idea that we don’t have to have it all figured out and know everything is actually really freeing, and I love that, by subscribing to the idea of growth mindset, I give myself permission to re-evaluate things and make them better as I go.
So, this is why I believe it is essential to talk about strategy again, and again and again and again. Flying blind is not an option, but neither is working doggedly to a strategy that you may have outgrown since you created it.
You’re the boss, you get to create your own crazy, creative, amazing masterpiece!
Why We Need Strategy In The First Place
Whether you are leading an entire business, running a marketing department, or only handling elements of marketing within an established business, strategy is vital for your sanity and the survival of the business.
When I mention strategy, I am referring to a concise plan that is in place for a specific reason and with exact end goals in mind. Having a strategy in place for whatever role you are fulfilling helps and guides you in so many ways.
Let’s look at some of them. Since I am in content writing, I will focus on marketing strategies, but you can add more as they apply to your area of business. A strategy:
- Reminds you of your reasons for performing smaller tasks.
- Keeps your goals tangible.
- Reminds you of the correct processes to follow.
- Keeps you focused on days when you would prefer to veg.
- Helps maintain a solid brand identity.
- Keeps your content and communication uniform and predictable for your audience and clients.
- Allows you to plan your content ahead of time with one goal in mind.
- Allows you to apply uniform brand colors, fonts, and other identifying features to your content.
- Allows you to focus on daily business tasks as they come up instead of rushing to conceptualize and create content on the go.
I could go on and on, but I think you get the idea.
Basically, having a strategy in place allows you to rest easy and carry on with the daily running of the business, knowing that all stakeholders are on the same path toward the same goal that is in the best interest of the business and everyone involved.
Questions To Ask Yourself Halfway Through The Year As You Strategize
At the half-year mark, I like to take a step back and re-assess how everything is going. I see it almost as an opportunity to get things back on track, start fresh, and get a new gust of energy flowing through the halls of the Grammar Goblin headquarters.
There are a few questions that come in handy when doing a mid-year assessment. Feel free to make a note of them and use them for your own business before you look at the strategy for the second half of the year.
Some of the questions I ask include the following:
- What has been going well?
- What has been contributing to their success?
- What hasn’t been going well?
- What has been bringing them down?
- What have I really enjoyed doing these last six months?
- What has been a drag?
- What has taken my focus off center and what can be done about that?
- What major life events have happened to me or my staff this year that have impacted the business?
- In what ways did I pleasantly surprise myself?
- What am I proud of so far?
- What do I need to work on?
Once you have the answers to these questions, you will have a clear understanding of what has impacted your year so far. It might become clear how you should shift focus in your strategy from there.
If it is still not too clear, you can follow some or all of the following prompts to get you going:
- What do we want to achieve by December?
- What steps need to be taken to get there?
- Which stakeholders need to be engaged to assist in reaching these goals?
- Which trends and popular social media strategies can we use to share our message?
- Is our target market the same as before?
- Are our social media platforms appropriate for the target market?
- Are there other novel ways we can market to our target audience?
- How else can we engage our employees and target audience to be brand ambassadors?
Wrapping Up
Having a clear strategy for all elements of business is important. Having one for the content you share as part of your marketing is vital. It keeps your message clear and predictable and shows whom you are as a brand, allowing your target audience to remember and trust you. Ask yourself probing questions halfway through the year and shift the focus of your strategy if needed. Get the right people on board to make your goals attainable and ensure everyone is engaged in working toward the same dream.
