It’s the fourth day of January – did you break your resolutions already? How about the goals you’ve set for your business? It can be tempting to set big, blue-sky goals at the start of the new year (and that’s not always a bad thing) — but there are three simple resolutions that, no matter your vertical, can help you reach your goals in 2023:

Focus on Consistency

As the market ebbs and flows, and the economic outlooks get, well, scary, it can be tempting to cut your marketing budget or scale back on your efforts to promote. But skimping on your marketing can hurt you in the long run because it will hinder your ability to achieve consistency in two ways:

1. Consistency in the marketplace/ building brand awareness
2. Consistency in building and nurturing an audience to maintain and grow revenue 

Work Toward Efficiency

The new year is a good time to review your processes, your tools and software. What could be simplified? Where are there gaps or needs in your systems? Are the tools you are paying for meeting your needs? If time is money, then prioritizing efficiency should be seen as a cost-saving strategy.

Remain Priority-focused

Speaking of priorities…what are yours? What are your annual goals and how do they map to your high level business goals? Got those? OK great. Now, are your plans for this quarter, this year, this month, aligned with those goals? How about with your organizational mission or values? (Even if you are a very small business, you have values. Write them down!). When the to-do list feels overwhelming and the budget feels tight, get back to the priorities. Market your signature products or services. Check your communications flow and style for your values. Perfect your customer service. High quality experience = more word of mouth. And when it comes to marketing, word of mouth is still king.

So, in 2023, resolve to be consistent; to be efficient and to focus on your priorities. Best wishes for a happy and prosperous year!