It’s a new year — which, in absolute terms, of course, means nothing at all. Whatever we label it, one day always follows the day before.
On the other hand, we all need times to reflect and plan for the future of our businesses, rather than simply drifting along the same track indefinitely. In theory, we could do this at any time, but New Year is ideal, coming as it does after a downtime for most of us.
So what am I going to do differently in 2024? Here are a few thoughts.
1. New Clients
2023 wasn’t a great year for clients, either for me or for any other copywriter I’ve spoken to. I did gain a couple of new clients, but I also had some pausing their work with me.
2024 isn’t likely to be easy, especially in the early part of the year, but my intention is to add a minimum of six new clients in the course of the year — and the earlier the better.
2. Attract Larger Clients
Part of my plans for last year was to start attracting clients larger than the usual micro-businesses. Not that I don’t value those, but I want my new clients to include some in the 15-35 employee range — companies large enough to have a dedicated Marketing Director who needs to outsource the actual work.
This is still a work in progress. My initial LinkedIn strategy didn’t seem to work, so I’ll need to take a slightly different approach, while I’m still learning to use opportunities such as the local Chamber of Commerce effectively.
3. Exhibit at Business Expos
In the past, most of the business expos I’ve been to have tended to be either too big (leaving me confused and with a headache) or too small (hardly worth going). A couple of months ago, though, I went to the expo arranged by 4Networking in Nottingham which, like Baby Bear’s porridge, was just right.
One of the things I took away was that there’s no reason I shouldn’t exhibit, as well as attending. Before I do that, I’ll have to work out what I need for the stall, what are appropriate giveaways (pads and pens seem ideal for a writer) and how to make the stall interactive. It may not happen till the second half of the year, but I’ll be exhibiting at one expo, at least, this year.
4. Make My Offer More Attractive
How do you make an offer more attractive than word wizardry that transforms your brand’s visibility and pulling power? Well, it’s all very well to be attractive in a general way, but that’s not the same as persuading potential clients to engage in the first place.
So I’ll need to develop various giveaways and other offers that will get people through the virtual door. Then the quality of the writing can do its work.
5. Strategies for Social Media
I’ve already made one change to my social media strategy. I gave Twitter (or X, as it calls itself now) till the end of 2023 to start getting sensible again. On New Year’s Day, I deleted my account, so I’m now concentrating on LinkedIn and Facebook — especially LinkedIn.
My content strategy is fairly sound, although I need more posts aimed specifically at the larger businesses I mentioned earlier. What I really need to work on, though, is ongoing engagement — and that will need a commitment every day.
6. Celebrating My 10th Birthday
This year (3rd March) is the tenth anniversary of launching the business — and, especially given the economic and social upheavals those ten years have seen, that’s very much reason for celebration.
Over the next few weeks, I’ll be planning ways to mark the event. And, since March also contains a “big birthday” for me personally, it’s going to be a busy month.
So there are a few things you might notice me doing in 2024. I hope your own plans for universal domination this year are going well.