What should I review in marketing in one hour, at year end?

At year end, almost everyone puts off the marketing review for lack of time. But a short, organised review gives more than a long report nobody reads. Set aside an hour, a sheet of paper, and follow this route.

Block 1 (10 min): the enquiries

• How many enquiries were there, month by month?
• Where did they come from: website, Google, recommendation, social media, ads, other?
• How many became customers?

If you do not have these numbers, the first result of the review is deciding how to record them. Read how to tell whether your website brings enquiries.

Block 2 (10 min): the website

• How many visits and where did they come from?
• Which pages are seen most? And the ones nobody sees?
• How many actions were there (phone, form)?
• Is there out-of-date information: prices, hours, services, team?

Block 3 (10 min): the Google Business Profile

• Hours, phone and address right?
• Current photos?
• How many new reviews were there? Did you reply to all?
• Are there unanswered questions?

Block 4 (10 min): the content

• What did you publish this year?
• What brought replies, messages or enquiries?
• Which customer questions were left unanswered?

Block 5 (10 min): tools and costs

• Which paid tools and subscriptions? How were they used?
• What marketing expenses were there (ads, outside services, materials)?
• What left signs and what did not?

Block 6 (10 min): three decisions

With what you saw, write three decisions, one sentence each:

1. What I keep, because it worked.
2. What I change, because it brought little or is out of date.
3. What I stop, because it uses time or money without signs.

What to do next

These three decisions are the starting point for next year's plan. Read how to plan the marketing year in January and how to plan the budget. Keep the sheet: in a year, the comparison will show you what changed. In Digital Marketing, this review is the first step of any work.

Common mistakes

• Doing the review without numbers and deciding by impression.
• Looking only at what went well, and forgetting what was spent without return.
• Writing ten decisions and keeping none. Three are enough.
• Not keeping the review to compare next year.

The review sheet

Create a sheet with six sections, one per block, and leave three blank lines in each. Fill it in on a single day, with a timer. When the time for each block is up, move on to the next, even if you do not have all the numbers: note what was missing and why. At the end, write the three decisions and the date you will review them. If the sheet shows many "I do not know", the most useful result of the review is realising what you will start recording next year. It is a gain, even without numbers. Before you start, gather the numbers you already have (enquiry sheet, website statistics, reviews) and put them all on one table, or in one window. The review is much quicker when you do not have to go looking for each thing midway. If any block takes you more than ten minutes, it is a sign that information is hard to obtain, and that is, in itself, a decision for next year: making the number easier to see. Also add a final line with what surprised you most: it is usually the most honest starting point for next year's plan.

In short

• One hour and six ten-minute blocks are enough for the year's stocktake.
• Blocks: enquiries, website, Google profile, content, tools and costs, and decisions.
• Three written decisions: what to keep, what to change and what to stop.
• Keep the sheet to compare next year.

Quick questions

What if I do not have numbers?

Do the review anyway, with what you know, and note what is missing. The first result will be deciding what to record from now on.

Who should take part?

Whoever handles the marketing and whoever decides. If it is the same person, ask someone from outside to read the sheet and ask questions.

How often should I do this review?

Once a year, in full, and a short half-hour version each quarter.