When the clocks turned to 2019, everyone across the globe acknowledged in their own way the start of a new year. And with this fresh start, it’s critical that businesses take a fresh look at their current advertising strategy to ensure it’s equipped to navigate the new trends – and challenges – that a new year will inevitably bring along with it.

Take a look at six ways your advertising strategy must change in 2019 in order to remain relevant and effective. After all, there’s not much worse for a business than investing money in strategies that no longer work. Here’s how you can put your best brand forward in 2019!

Evolve with Your Target Audience

How much has your business changed over the last 12 months? The answer is likely quite a bit and in a variety of ways, many of which people on the outside may not notice unless you told them. The same is true for your target audience. If you haven’t revisited your target audience’s key demographics and behaviors in the last 12 months, you’re likely now shooting at the wrong target. As your services and products change, so will your customers’ needs. With the start of every New Year, you need to take a fresh look at who you’re targeting and with what tactics.

Understand New Technology

It’s important to note that you must understand new technology, but not necessarily adopt it. If you want to have the most effective advertising strategy for your business, you need stay on top of the emerging trends. However, use caution before you blindly incorporate these new trends into your strategy. Do your research to understand the target market or industry they best serve and only make them part of your strategy if they align with your goals.

Fresh Messaging

With every New Year (and really every new season) you want to develop fresh messaging for your business’s advertising campaigns. You need to stay ahead of your competition and also stand out among all the other ads that are inundating your target audience. Fresh messaging combined with new creative is the best and easiest way to breathe new life into your brand.

Be Mindful of Politics

While 2019 is not a presidential election year, things will certainly be heating up in preparation for 2020! Additionally there will be many other politically fueled ads hitting the scene that will be taking up ad space and likely driving up prices. In order to steer clear of political advertising seasons, it’s best to talk with a professional media buyer who knows the market and can advise you of inventory surge pricing.

Plan Ahead…But Not Too Far!

2019 is the year to build a nimble and flexible advertising strategy. Technology and trends are changing virtually at the speed of light. If you map out your full 12-month advertising strategy and lock it in, there is little room to tweak and adjust your strategy as changes inevitably arise. It’s smart to lay out a general advertising strategy for the year, with a solid plan for the next quarter, but keep things flexible and changeable from that point forward and work a quarter at a time.

How do you plan to change your advertising strategy in 2019?

Will you implement large-scale changes or merely make some minor tweaks?

Share your ideas or questions with us so we can collaborate on this important topic!