As the holiday season approaches, it can be overwhelming to think about what needs to be done before the end of the year. For you personally, there are often extra family and social obligations. Adding your business marketing to-dos on top of that can create an even bigger sense of obligation and overwhelm.

Marketing planning

Luckily, there’s something you can do about that.

When getting your end-of-year marketing done, try these tips to make your life easier and create space for those things that are most important, personally and professionally.

First…

Make a list of everything that seems like it needs to get done by the year’s end.
Yes, everything. Everything you thought maybe you’d like to do, that’s been on the list, whether you’ve taken action on it or not. Even if the tasks are things you don’t think about often, write them down in one place so you can see all the items at the same time.

Then ask…

Does it actually need to get done?
Often, what you think just “has to” get done isn’t as urgent when you look at the task objectively. Be realistic: you’ve got a short time frame available, limited bandwidth, and additional distractions. Look at what you thought you’d get done this year. Review the bigger picture of your business (Need a sense of your business’s larger vision? Read about that here.) Pick only those items that have a direct relationship to getting your business’s most important goals accomplished. If you spend a bit of time on this crucial step, the list will be shorter and more meaningful, making the following steps infinitely easier.

Then ask…

Do I need to get this done personally?

If so…

Just Do It.
In the very traditional Nike sense, you can Just Do It. If it’s really important, something that absolutely needs to get done before year’s end, by you personally, look at your calendar and set aside time to devote to it. Feel good about scheduling the tasks, anticipating how good you’ll feel once you complete them, and dive into getting them done.

An example of this is: putting together your end-of-year newsletter.

If not…

Delegate it.
Some of the items on your list may be important, yet don’t need to be done by you; you may not have the time, expertise, or interest in doing them personally. If this is the case, pass them along to your assistant, or find another expert to work with. Remember to set a specific timeline and budget for getting everything done.

An example of this is: queuing up all your social media for the rest of the year.

Or…

Delay it.
There are probably a few items that are important enough to remain on your to-do list, yet don’t need to be done before year’s end. Take the time now to look at next year’s calendar and decide when you’d like to do them. Plan your marketing this way and you’ll set yourself up for success next year.

An example of this is: testing out your new marketing niche.

Taking care of your year-end marketing items is a lot easier with this level of clarity. Give yourself time now to make your plan for the next six weeks, then relax and enjoy, knowing everything that’s important will be taken care of.

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