As the year begins to draw to a close, and what a fast year it has been, many small and medium-sized businesses are focused on year end and finishing the year strong. But November and December are actually the best time to look ahead. Carrying out your Marketing Planning now for both the year ahead and specifically for Quarter 1 gives you a head start. Rather than recovering after the holidays, you’ll be ready to kick start the New Year.
It doesn’t matter whether you’re running a shop, restaurant, consultancy, or financial brokerage, a robust marketing strategy and plan starting in Quarter 1 sets the tone for your entire year. Here’s some ideas on how to get started in creating an engaging plan that will deliver on your goals.
1. Review This Year’s Performance
Before you can plan ahead, take a close look at what worked (and what didn’t) in 2025. Pull insights from your website analytics, social media reports, email performance, sales data and of course from customer feedback. What brought in leads, what channels delivered and where did engagement fall away?
So for example, if your coffee shop saw strong returns from loyalty email campaigns, or your financial brokerage generated quality leads from LinkedIn content, those are signals to invest more in those areas next year.
A quick marketing audit in November helps you build from proven successes rather than starting from scratch. You can read more about doing a social media audit in our previous blog.
2. Set Clear, Measurable Goals
Once you know what’s worked, define exactly what you want to achieve both in terms of the full year and then quarter by quarter. Remember to keep your goals SMART, that is Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound.
An example of these would be to increase website enquiries by 15% by end of March, Grow social media followers (on your selected channels) by 20% with consisten posting or generate 20 new qualified leads from local newspaper advertising.
3. Refresh Your Messaging and Creative
January is all about fresh starts, so your marketing planning and activities should reflect that energy. Update your visuals, messaging, and offers to speak to customers’ aspirations for the new year. Have the creative and message ready to roll out as soon as the new year starts.
Refreshing your creative direction and updating your messaging signals that your business is current and active. It also shows that you have our finger on the pulse in terms of your customers and potential customers needs.
4. Build Your Marketing Calendar
With goals and messaging set, plan your activities month by month. This is where you can work on a quarter by quarter basis to include key dates, holidays, and formulate campaigns that align with your audience’s needs and lend themselves to your business message.
Look at seasonal events like New Year’s Day and St. Patrick’s Day as well as industry specific trends like tax deadlines or first-time buyers content. It all depends on how and what way you can appeal to your target audience. Having a clear calendar means you can be consistent in your content from social media, blogs and newsletters to advertising and door drops.
5. Boost Local and Digital Visibility
Regardless of industry, your customers need to find you easily both online and offline. Make sure your Google Business Profile, website, and social media channels are up to date with fresh photos, contact information, and customer reviews. Remember SEARCH is the new WORD OF MOUTH so make sure you put forward the best version of your business to be found.
Strong and professional visibility builds trust and trust drives sales.
6. Measure, Learn, and Adjust
Once your campaigns are live, track performance regularly. Use Google Analytics, ad dashboards, or your CRM to see what’s driving results. If an offer or ad performs well, extend it. If something underperforms, tweak your messaging or targeting. Agility is key especially early in the year when markets and budgets are still settling. The beauty too of digital is that you can start, test and stop very easily. Remember, marketing isn’t a one-off project; it’s an ongoing cycle of learning, and improving.
Next Steps
Before you take a break over the festive season make sure you have your plans in place to go live once the new year starts. The first quarter is your chance to start 2026 with purpose and momentum. Remember we are here to help with your marketing planning and strategy, so if you’re struggling to get to grips with it, just get in touch with us at Shortbytes Marketing Solutions.