Tips for Planning Your Marketing & PR Strategy for 2025

Ensuring your marketing and public relations strategies are solidified before the holidays arrive is a smart way to get a head start on the new year. While planning for the year ahead can feel daunting—both in terms of budget and brainpower (and even bandwidth)—it pays off in the long run, fostering early alignment with key stakeholders and helping to eliminate unnecessary spends later in the year.

Here’s a checklist with tips and advice to get you started on your 2025 marketing and public relations strategy:

How Did You Do In 2024?

• Assess KPIs: Review the key performance indicators you set for your 2024 marketing strategy. Identify where you excelled and where you fell short, analyzing the reasons behind each. Use these insights to refine your KPIs for the year ahead.  
• Campaign Analysis: Evaluate which campaigns and channels generated the most engagement, revenue or leads. Understanding what worked well will help guide your future campaign planning.  
• Audience Insights: Take a look at the individuals and brands that engaged most with your marketing efforts. This will help you better tailor your approach in 2025. 

Set Clear and Attainable Goals for 2025

• Be Realistic: A lot can change over twelve months, so there’s no need to map out an entire year’s strategy right away. Start by planning for a quarter or half of the year, then adjust as needed.  
• Brand Awareness vs. Conversion: Determine how much emphasis you’ll place on brand awareness versus direct conversions. Both can be important, but this decision will shape where you allocate your marketing budget.  
• Customer Retention & Loyalty: While new customers are essential, existing customers are crucial for sustainable growth. Set clear goals focused on retaining current customers and building loyalty. 

Understand Trends for 2025 & Competitor Assessment

• Content Trends: Integrate proven industry marketing tactics into your 2025 strategy. Trends like short-form video and interactive content have shown strong engagement results for brands across the board. While these trends aren’t one-size-fits-all, staying updated is essential—consider hiring a specialist if you need expert insights.
• Competitor Analysis: Keep an eye on your competitors' marketing activities. Review their 2024 efforts, from LinkedIn content and event presence to demand generation campaigns and public relations initiatives. Understanding their strategies can help shape and strengthen your own approach.

Allocate Budget

• Identify and Prioritize Channels: Use your 2024 analysis to direct more budget toward higher-performing channels. Also, set aside funds for experimenting with new tactics and platforms, helping you stay agile and adaptable.
• People & External Resources: Assess whether you'll need to expand your team or bring in external support from agencies or contractors. This planning can ensure you have the right talent and resources to execute your strategies effectively. 

Develop Your Content Calendar

• Align Content with Your Target Audience’s Journey: Plan content that meets your audience at different stages of their journey, from awareness all the way to decision-making. This ensures your content supports prospects and customers at each phase, guiding them toward conversion.
• Plan Key Campaigns: Schedule major campaigns around key dates, holidays, and industry events. This keeps you prepared for important moments in your market and allows you to create content well in advance.
• Consistency Across Channels: Ensure that messaging is consistent across all channels, creating a cohesive brand experience. From your website and email marketing campaigns to your social media channels and advertisements, tailoring content to fit each platform’s format and audience should reflect a unified brand voice. 

Refine Your Brands Public Relations Strategy

• Nurture Existing Media Relationships and Build New Ones: Stay connected with current media contacts and proactively form new relationships. Invite reporters, editors, and producers for coffee or lunch to discuss their upcoming projects and explore how you can collaborate in 2025. A strong network with journalists and influencers enhances your brand’s visibility and credibility.
• Establish Thought Leadership: Position your brand as a thought leader in your industry. Plan for articles and expert commentary that showcase your expertise and create valuable public relations opportunities.
• Leverage Industry Events: Maximize public relations exposure by participating in industry events and conferences. Sponsorships, speaking engagements, and other event involvement can significantly boost your brand’s visibility and credibility. 

This checklist provides a foundation for your 2025 marketing and public relations strategy, helping you start the year prepared and aligned with key goals.