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Marketicity planning for 2025 moving brands forward

Planning for 2025

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For those of us born in the 1900s, “Planning for 2025” sounds like it should be something out of a science fiction book. Amazingly enough, however, what it actually means is that in four months it will be the year 2025 and we will have a whole new calendar of events, programs, campaigns, and strategies to run. And we all know that if we’re not thinking about those things now, those four months are going to go by very quickly.

We’re all used to the idea of Spring Cleaning, but we think there needs to be an equally important Fall Stock-Taking (we’re still working on the name). We know how easy it is to get into the flow of the year and never slow down to look at what you’ve accomplished, how far along you’ve come, how expectations have or haven’t been met, etc.

The unfortunate, but very real truth is that if you do need to pivot, start something new, or sunset something old, it might take you three or four months to evaluate the year to date, adjust, and implement. And 2025 is a whole lot closer than it seemed like it would be just a month ago.

So we encourage you to carve out some time this month to take stock of your brand or your campaigns and strategies and do some planning ahead. Or at least thinking ahead. We all know how stubborn creative challenges can be and procrastination proficiency might be effective at times, but it’s certainly not the best way. And if you do run into any roadblocks, let us know. Sometimes all you need is someone with an outside perspective who hasn’t been sitting with the problem for an extended period of time.

So here’s to being proactive, and to a great 2025. And just think, we’re only 37 years away from when The Jetsons was supposed to take place!

Marketicity is a marketing services firm whose team members have delivered successful campaigns and have been Moving Brands Forward for some of the best-known brands in their categories – both locally, regionally and nationally. We’re proud of our work but even more proud that our clients are proud of the work produced for their brands. Want to learn more about how we can help you “move your brand forward”? Simply give us a call or visit our Contact Us page. We look forward to hearing from you.

Marketing Planning for Success Marketicity Moving Brands Forward

Planning for Success Vs. Hoping it Shows Up

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In any creative endeavor, it’s tempting to wait around for the light bulb moment, the muse, or the perfect idea that suddenly materializes into a complete, workable project. But the truth is, if we were wholly reliant on these means, many of us would still be waiting. And while this is true of single ideas, it’s equally true of plans and strategies. You can get lost in the daydream of a perfect marketing plan, where each new piece perfectly springboards off the one that came before, but at some point in time you actually have to do some work, or marketing planning.

At Marketicity, we prioritize creativity, but not at the expense of production. As we like to say, you have to plan for success and not just hope for it. In other words, be proactive, not reactive. A good plan goes a long way, especially when you give yourself time to think through other options, additional communication means, and memorable ways to capture your audience’s attention.

If your plan is to release new marketing material, planning for it early (many weeks and sometimes months depending on its level of detail) gives you the time and benefit of considering every option. Videos take time. Long-term social media strategies take time. Website creation and print material also takes time. Planning ahead gives you the luxury of choosing which of those you need, and not just which you can manage with the time you have left.

Creativity is often like a conversation, especially when it comes to a marketing approach. Of course, a fully-formed strategy that could be implemented without trial would be wonderful, the reality is that creativity is almost always a back-and-forth process. Our goal is always to plan, and plan early whenever possible, without being so rigid that making an adjustment isn’t possible, while also having a feel of where the conversation is going and where we might want to take it next.

 

Marketicity is a marketing services firm whose team members have delivered successful campaigns and have been Moving Brands Forward for some of the best-known brands in their categories – both locally, regionally and nationally. We’re proud of our work but even more proud that our clients are proud of the work produced for their brands. Want to learn more about how we can help you “move your brand forward”? Simply give us a call or visit our Contact Us page. We look forward to hearing from you.

Marketicity Moving Brands Forward Planning

Planning for Your Brand’s Success in 2023

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We think a lot about marketing planning here at Marketicity. Which certainly shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone. But marketing is an interesting field. Often, we see it as both overvalued and undervalued in the same breath. It is both assumed that a single piece of marketing can be a silver bullet to solve any sudden problem, as well as entirely underestimated how much work goes into a well-thought-out marketing strategy, or social media plan, or efficient website design.

Marketing is flashy and subtle and practical and creative and a variety of other opposites all at once. The strategy that worked in one industry may not work in another. The engagement with a piece of print material may not translate to digital. For one client, video may be the answer, while an email campaign may be the answer for another. The point being, marketing is a highly varied world where a copy-paste approach just won’t do.

That’s why we approach every marketing opportunity as a multi-faceted problem to be solved. It’s why we spend as much time working with brands on how their products are arranged in the grocery store as we do with brands on how their SEO plays nice with Google. From website design, to traditional print material, to video content, to social media management, to public relations, and everything in between, marketing is an ever-evolving world and here at Marketicity we are evolving with it.

When you decide to work with us, we provide you with a unique plan, specific to your current and prospective clients, fit for your region, and targeted to your industry. Whether you want us to handle every aspect of your marketing plan or provide a little help and consultation along the way, we’re here for you. If you are looking to get started in 2023, or if you are looking for a refresh of your approach, don’t hesitate to reach out.


Marketicity is a marketing services firm whose team members have delivered successful campaigns and have been Moving Brands Forward for some of the best-known brands in their categories – both locally, regionally and nationally. We’re proud of our work but even more proud that our clients are proud of the work produced for their brands. Want to learn more about how we can help you “move your brand forward”? Simply give us a call or visit our Contact Us page. We look forward to hearing from you.

Marketicity Moving Brands Forward Thankful to Help

Thankful to Help

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Sometimes in the world of marketing it can seem like you create content or materials that simply vanish into the ether once they’re finished and you’re left wondering if they had any impact or effect at all.

Analytics can help, as can invested clients, but it can still be a difficult feeling to shake. This is especially true when you’re working with clients across the country or even across the globe. It won’t surprise anyone to say that the Internet, and even more recently the accessibility of tools like Zoom, Google Suite, MicroSoft Teams, etc, have greatly increased our ability to work nationally and globally. And while this can mean more clients, more opportunities for work, and a wider variety of projects, nothing can quite replace the feeling of getting to work with the community members you see every day.

Those community members may not be listed in prestigious magazines, Tweeted about, or speak exclusively in buzzwords, but the ability to help your neighbor or that hardworking business in our region is one of the greatest joys we get to have in this business.

Over the years we have loved the opportunity to work closely with clients like these. Clients like:
1) HTC – A 127-year strong Internet & telecom provider and cornerstone of our communities
2) Waterloo Piranhas – A local rec swim team that competes against other area swim teams
3) Monroe County StartUP – helping train tomorrow’s entrepreneurs, today
4) International Ingredient Corp – Providing animal feed ingredients around the world
5) FS Construction Services – Southwestern Illinois’ premiere ag construction firm
6) National Corn Grower Assoc. – Proudly representing America’s 46k+ Corn growers
7) Peoples Bank & Trust – A nationally ranked USDA lender based in central Illinois
8) Vince Graye Slate & Tile Roofing – True craftsman experience in the art of specialize roofing
9) Wightman Pharmacy – Delivering exceptional personal pharmacy services for 125 years
10) NCERC – A pioneer in the research, development, and commercialization of biorenewables
plus, so many others.

Each of these exceptional brands and our other clients have a strong tie to the communities we live in. There is a pride in knowing we are working with neighbors but also helping as we are Moving Their Brands Forward.

None of us would be where we are if it wasn’t for the local groups, businesses, and surrounding community that helped shape us. At Marketicity we are thankful to have the chance to give a little back to those hardworking men and women.

Marketicity is a marketing services firm whose team members have delivered successful campaigns and have been Moving Brands Forward for some of the best-known brands in their categories – both locally, regionally and nationally. We’re proud of our work but even more proud that our clients are proud of the work produced for their brands. Want to learn more about how we can help you “move your brand forward”? Simply give us a call at 618-281-6648 or visit our Contact Us page. We look forward to hearing from you.

Marketicity marketing planning moving brands forward

Five Reasons Planning is Crucial to Your Brand’s Success

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As we often like to discuss, there is no one foolproof way to guarantee your brand’s success. If there was, our job here at Marketicity would be a lot easier. But of course, we all know it isn’t like that. Instead, a good marketing plan requires a lot of prior experience, some targeted internal conversations, a few intangibles, and a lot of hard work and planning. So let’s focus on that planning for a moment and talk about why it’s so important and what it looks like when we sit down with you to plan out a trajectory for your brand.

Reinforcement
One of the most important parts of any brand is the feeling associated with it. Some brands carry a feeling of quality with their name. Some do just the opposite. What is your brand? What does it do? How does it make people feel? When updating or creating a marketing plan, finding ways to reinforce your brand’s feel and purpose, or perhaps creating that feel and purpose for the first time, is a great place to start.

Budgets
This one is pretty obvious, but it needs to be said: consider your budget. A splashy product unveiling sounds like a great idea, but is it actually feasible? Things like TV or radio ads, or even targeted ads on social media can be effective, but like everything else, they cost something. Having a strong handle on your budget will help you know where to direct your marketing efforts and what kind of material should be created.

Clear Messaging
Unless confusion is part of your brand experience, you want to make sure that whatever messaging is out there for you is clear, cohesive, and additive. Social media is a different kind of space than the radio and you want your messaging to adapt appropriately.

Brainstorming
Planning is brainstorming. It’s important to create space and time to look at your brand, where it’s succeeding, where it’s failing, where it’s been remembered, where it’s underperformed, and so on. And then ask yourself: what now? What next? What more? While we could insert some quote about how there are no bad ideas, etc., etc., what we like to say around here is: If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.

Accountability
Marketing without a plan is like archery without a target, how are you ever going to know if you’ve actually succeeded? When you work with us to create a plan for your brand, we all become accountable to it. Having a plan means collectively there is something to aim for, something to work towards, and measurable ways to determine if it worked or not. If you are stuck in a dark room with a flashlight, it would be foolish not to turn it on.

Marketicity is a marketing services firm whose team members have delivered successful campaigns and have been Moving Brands Forward for some of the best-known brands in their categories – both locally, regionally and nationally. We’re proud of our work but even more proud that our clients are proud of the work produced for their brands. Want to learn more about how we can help you “move your brand forward”? Simply give us a call or visit our Contact Us page. We look forward to hearing from you.

Not to Late too Plan Marketicity

It’s Not Too Late to Plan for Year 2021!

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The year is still young, so do not believe that it is too late to plan, to improve, or to reinvent yourself! 2020 is definitely going down in history, but not as a year that we want to remember. The only way to go from here is up, so take the time to reflect, rebuild, something in your life, or possibly start something anew.

So many promises are made at the beginning of the year, whether they are to ourselves or others, but rarely are they kept. An easy way to counter this is to write it down; commit it to memory, so it never escapes and serves as a constant motivation and reminder for growth. Monthly, weekly, and even daily check-ups can help you to reach those goals that you promised to reach.

Plans and promises for the new year do not just stop at the personal level but carry on into the business world, too. Last year may have been tough for your business, but even that can be ameliorated. Scan statements and papers from your business to find where it is lacking, look for the cracks, and then fill them in. This is easier said than done, but necessary for your plan!

Outline the next steps, plan for the unexpected. Worlds’ and years’ worth of information lay at your fingertips, all that it takes is the will to press them, to inquire, to learn, and, eventually, to grow.

Beginning or expanding your business can be tough, but Marketicity is here to help. After all, a push for your marketing may be all your business needs to expand and grow. Marketicity can help your business reach the place you have always wanted.

Marketicity is a marketing services firm whose team members have delivered successful campaigns and have been Moving Brands Forward for some of the best-known brands in their categories – both locally, regionally and nationally. We’re proud of our work but even more proud that our clients are proud of the work produced for their brands. Want to learn more about how we can help you “move your brand forward”? Simply give us a call or visit our Contact Us page. We look forward to hearing from you.

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