As the year winds down, business owners face a critical question: How can they maintain momentum, boost revenue, and set the stage for a successful 2025? During a recent KWSM-led webinar, Unlocking End-of-Year Growth: Convert More Leads into Sales with Actionable Steps, Katie Wagner, President of KWSM: A Digital Marketing Agency, shared her end-of-year marketing tips and insights on navigating this crucial time.
Katie’s insights, paired with actionable advice from Brent Bonine, Managing Director of AcSELLerate, and David Oates, Principal of PR Security Services, provide a clear roadmap for making the most of the year-end period.
Why the End of the Year is a Good Time to Refine Your Marketing Strategy
The final quarter is a good time to take inventory of what’s working and ensure your efforts are strategic and aligned.
“One of the biggest mistakes I see business owners make is that they’re doing a lot of activity, but they’re doing it without an overarching comprehensive plan about how it all works together.”
– Katie Wagner, CEO, KWSM: a digital marketing agency
Katie emphasized that this lack of coordination often leads to wasted time and resources. “Ask yourself the hard question: Do we really have a strategy?” The solution? Create a clear roadmap that ties all your marketing efforts together, ensuring every tactic contributes to your broader goals.
3 Actionable Tips to Make the Most of the End of the Year
1. Build on Your Existing Marketing Strategy
The end of the year often tempts business owners to panic and make wholesale changes to their strategies. Katie strongly advises against this approach, especially in an election year:
“You should not probably rewrite your whole marketing plan or throw everything out and start over, because it was a strange year. There were a lot of things that were in play this year that aren’t necessarily going to be as relevant next year.”
Instead, look back at your marketing activity objectively and focus on what worked. Where did you see the best return on your investment? Which strategies gained traction? Use this time to refine your efforts and make incremental improvements rather than starting over.
2. Focus on Your Core Products and Services
When sales are slow or uncertain, it’s tempting to cast a wide net. Instead, Katie encouraged businesses to dial in their offerings:
“It’s maybe not time to start talking about your whole suite of auxiliary items. Really focus on those core products and services that are going to make the biggest difference for your target audience.”
Brent echoed this sentiment, advising businesses to tailor their messaging to what their audience values most.
3. Stay Consistent with Your Lead Generation
As the year ends, many businesses lose momentum because they don’t see immediate results from their outbound lead-generation efforts. Katie highlights the long-term nature of these strategies:
“All lead generation strategies take time to work. These are long-term strategies—you can’t start doing something and expect results the next day.”
Consistency is key. Even if the results aren’t immediate, staying the course allows you to build on your current traction instead of starting over. Brent added, “You’ve got to go for the strong finish, but I think the way you do it isn’t pressure. It’s really getting back to reminding that client what the value of your solution brings and how soon they can recognize the benefits of that value.”
The Importance of a Strong Digital Marketing Strategy
When discussing effective year-end efforts, Katie underscored the significance of digital marketing. “You can tell a lot by analyzing the behavior on your website. Not only where does the traffic come from, but also how long do they stay on your site? What pages are they looking at? What’s the path through the site?”
Understanding your website’s performance and audience behavior provides invaluable insights. Use tools like Google Analytics 4 to identify trends, track high-bounce pages, and improve conversion rates. Additionally, ensure your SEO strategy aligns with current trends, especially as AI is changing how search engines display results.
As you wrap up the year, consider this advice from Katie:
“Put a formal plan in place, execute the plan, and check it frequently.”
For a deeper dive into these strategies, watch the full webinar, Unlocking End-of-Year Growth: Convert More Leads into Sales with Actionable Steps. The insights shared by Katie, Brent, and David provide a comprehensive guide to ending the year on a high note and preparing for success in 2025.
Looking for a Digital Marketing Strategy for 2025?
As Katie pointed out, all marketing strategies take time to build momentum. The end of the year is the perfect opportunity to evaluate your current efforts, adjust where needed, and set a strong foundation for the new year.
KWSM specializes in crafting digital marketing strategies tailored to your business’s unique needs. Whether you’re looking to refine your SEO, enhance your email campaigns, or create a comprehensive lead-generation strategy, we’re here to help.
Schedule a consultation with KWSM today, and let’s build your path to success in 2025.
