It’s already December…so what do you need to keep in mind for your end of year marketing focus? As tempting as it can be to sit back, grab a glass of eggnog, and regale anyone who will listen about the awesome things you’ve done for your company over the last twelve months, that’s probably not the best steps to set up success for the next year.

You’re a marketer! You’ve always got work to do!

What is your CEO thinking about?

There’s a high likelihood your department’s performance is being reviewed during the end of year timeframe. Your CEO and executive team are looking over numbers, revenue, and budget. They’re asking themselves (and maybe you), “what did we accomplish, and how can we set ourselves up for success in the next year?”

Try to make this an easier process for them. If you can pull together high-level analytics based on the outcomes of your marketing initiatives including details pertaining to opportunities, they’ll be able to see the real impact your department had on the success of the business.

Remember: they’re not particularly interested in open rates, number or likes, or impressions. They need to know sales-related data. Things like cost per acquisition, number and amount of opportunities that have closed and are in pipeline, ratio of Marketing Qualified Leads to Sales Qualified Leads, and the most impactful channels which generated sales. When in doubt…ask!

What are your prospects thinking about?

Depending on your industry, the end of year timeframe might be a particularly busy season or a particularly quiet season. Do some reflection and marketplace research and identify what the habits are of your potential and current customers. Are they making purchases with the last of their budget? Are they evaluating solutions that will prime them for optimal levels of success in the new year? Or are they taking time off to spend with friends and family?

Regardless of whether you’re in a B2B or B2C industry, you have options here. You want to be cognizant of the decisions your prospects are making, and the timeframe in which they need to make them. There’s a good chance that you can either try to squeeze in some last-minute closed sales (if you have a short sales cycle), or make sure your leads keep you in mind as they continue to weigh their decisions (if you have a longer sales cycle).

Put yourself in their shoes at this point. They’re less interested in your end of year marketing focus, and more interested in what will personally benefit themselves. Ask yourself, “what would I personally want to see? What would be helpful for me right now?” Your next marketing campaign should revolve around the answers you generate.

What should you be thinking about?

There’s a lot of balls to juggle at once when you’re managing your end of year marketing focus. Ultimately, you’re going to want to take into consideration what your different key stakeholders are weighing as most important, and from there develop out a to-do list and timeline, based on achievable priorities.

Think about this time as an opportunity to solidify your company’s status as the year comes to an end. It doesn’t matter if you need to focus in on helping close last-minute sales, or if you’re coordinating an effort to help your prospects rank your products or services at the top of their list for the upcoming year; your job is to ensure that the consistent perspective of your company remains positive and strong.

Also, take this as an opportunity to try something new! Maybe you’ve been putting off launching a webinar series. Maybe there is a new social media ad initiative you’ve had in the back of your mind. Maybe it’s time to speak with your customer success team and put in place engagement marketing campaigns.

New year, new you, new marketing!