Fourth quarter has arrived. Soon you will be preparing goals for 2022. But, we aren't the only ones thinking about next year. Our clients are preparing also. They are in the planning stages of creating goals, purchasing merchandise, getting their game plans ready to survive and thrive.
How will our stations and our advertising campaigns fit into their strategies? We need to find out. We need to access their plans and goals and to develop campaigns to help them to achieve those goals.
Now is the time to set down with your clients and discuss 2022. We call doing this "doing a mini-CNA". We update ourselves on how our clients' businesses might have changed during the last year or months (I guarantee you there have been BIG changes and adjustments). We need to find out what is most important to them in the new year. We need to know what they are thinking about their advertising and how effective they perceive their current campaigns to be.
Are they thinking of moving money to other advertising vehicles? Are they planning on cutting back their advertising investments? Are they planning on increasing their investments? What are the biggest concerns they have about doing business in the new year? Are they concerned about additional lockdowns? Are they having supply problems? Do they expect those to continue? Are they fully staffed?
We need to understand where their business is today and where they want it to be by the end of 2022. I know that crystal balls can be cloudy in the current economic environment, but the more we know about our clients' businesses, the better equipped we will be to assist them. It's not about us: it's about them! Helping our clients to achieve their goals will be the fastest way for us to achieve our goals.
2022 may be a challenging year. Aren't all years challenging in some way or the other? But we can become prepared to survive and thrive. Review your client list, set a time for a planning session with your decision-makers. Then prepare winning strategies for 2022.
Happy planning and happy selling!
