As 2021 is racing to its end, business owners and decision-makers are starting to do that thing we all do this time of year – reflect. If the past two years have taught us anything, it’s that anything can happen. We’ve learned lessons collectively that seem to have some positive staying power, for example:

• External factors can disrupt our work overnight, making our ability to pivot a superpower that we should have ready at any time.
• Negative events can, in some cases, lead to innovative ideas and new revenue streams.
• Bouncing back after a global event made 2021 a strange transition year for many businesses, but 2022 shows promise as things get back to some semblance of normal. (So, let’s get ready!)

1. Does your website need a tune-up?

Website maintenance is an oft-overlooked exercise in any business end-of-the-year marketing checklist. The truth is, however, that your website is a living, breathing channel of your business that may be more important than anything else.

Check out two key reasons this matters:

SEO – Google is estimated to update its algorithm 500-600 times each year. While most of these updates don’t impact your online storefront, many do. In 2021, approximately eight updates had a major impact on content, backlinks, and mobile-friendly aspects of all websites looking to use organic search as a tool for their business. (Everyone is looking to do that, right?) So, staying on top of your website from an SEO standpoint means that you are not getting lost in the shuffle, also known as leaving money on the table.

Customer Experience – Your customer (or potential customer) is more important than ever. According to one study, 57% of internet users say they won’t recommend a business with a poorly designed website on mobile while 88% of online consumers are less likely to return to a site after a bad experience. Those statistics just scratch the surface of how important the UX (also known as the user experience) is on your website. While your products may change, pricing may be adjusted and processes fluctuate, you may need to take a look at your site to make sure it flows, making sure your customers’ journey is accurate, pleasant, on-brand and friction-free.

2. When did you last revisit your SWOT analysis?

A review of the SWOT (strengths, weakness, opportunity, threat) analysis of your business is most likely in order. Remember, this is a working document. The specifics most likely have changed over these past two unpredictable years. It is important to review your SWOT to assess what worked and what didn’t. During this review of your SWOT, you’ll want to pepper the analysis with a review of:

• Goals – Reassess your goals and make sure they still align with your current strategic path. (This is also a great time to celebrate your wins and accomplishments!)
• KPIs – A goal without a metric tied to it is not effective. So, at this stage, be sure to adjust KPIs to fit your new analysis and new goals.
• Strategy – Even if your strategy stays exactly the same, which is unlikely after all the change, challenges and insights gained over the last two years, your action list is much likely due for an update. What do you need to prioritize to meet those objectives set for 2022?

3. Have you created your 2022 calendar yet?

Time keeps marching on, and the end of the year sneaks up on us (marketing consultants included) like a thief in the night. Creating a yearly calendar, however, is a great exercise to help you map out yearly events, relevant holidays and correlate marketing and business strategy with seasonal times of your fiscal year. The great news – once you create one for 2022, your 2023 calendar will be much easier to replicate and update.

4. When was the last time you did an overhaul of your creative assets?

Your year-end checklist should include an inventory of your creative assets. You know the ones that get outdated, are disorganized, poorly labeled and hard to find? Yes, those ones. Take some time to purge and organize your creative assets, so you save time, protect your important brand elements and work more efficiently in the coming year.

5. Bonus Tip: work with an accountability partner!

As you map out your plans for 2022, the inevitable is bound to happen. You will get mired down in the day-to-day workings of your business and find it harder to carve out time for the strategy related to the bigger picture. An accountability partner, in the form of a colleague or business partner, can be the tool that helps you stay on track with your goals and become a sounding board for big decisions and brainstorming ideas.

As 2021 is racing to its end, business owners and decision-makers are starting to do that thing we all do this time of year – reflect. If the past two years have taught us anything, it’s that anything can happen. We’ve learned lessons collectively that seem to have some positive staying power, for example:

• External factors can disrupt our work overnight, making our ability to pivot, a superpower that we should have ready at any time.
• Negative events can, in some cases, lead to innovative ideas and new revenue streams.
• Bouncing back after a global event made 2021 a strange transition year for many businesses, but 2022 shows promise as things get back to some semblance of normal. (So, let’s get ready!)

As we wrap up 2021 and get ready to ring in 2022, there is no better time than now to create an end-of-year checklist for your business. Looking back reflectively on the past 12 months (and possibly even further) is an excellent way to gain more insight into your business and help to map out the best path forward.

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