.bodytext {float: left; } .floatimg-left-hort { float:left; margin-top:10px; margin-right: 10px; width:300px; clear:left;} .floatimg-left-caption-hort { float:left; margin-bottom:10px; width:300px; margin-right:10px; clear:left;} .floatimg-left-vert { float:left; margin-top:10px; margin-right:15px; width:200px;} .floatimg-left-caption-vert { float:left; margin-right:10px; margin-bottom:10px; font-size: 10px; width:200px;} .floatimg-right-hort { float:right; margin-top:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 300px;} .floatimg-right-caption-hort { float:left; margin-right:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 300px; font-size: 10px; } .floatimg-right-vert { float:right; margin-top:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 200px;} .floatimg-right-caption-vert { float:left; margin-right:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 200px; font-size: 10px; } .floatimgright-sidebar { float:right; margin-top:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 200px; border-top-style: double; border-top-color: black; border-bottom-style: double; border-bottom-color: black;} .floatimgright-sidebar p { line-height: 115%; text-indent: 10px; } .floatimgright-sidebar h4 { font-variant:small-caps; } .pullquote { float:right; margin-top:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 150px; background: url(http://www.dmbusinessdaily.com/DAILY/editorial/extras/closequote.gif) no-repeat bottom right !important ; line-height: 150%; font-size: 125%; border-top: 1px solid; border-bottom: 1px solid;} .floatvidleft { float:left; margin-bottom:10px; width:325px; margin-right:10px; clear:left;} .floatvidright { float:right; margin-bottom:10px; width:325px; margin-right:10px; clear:left;} Happy almost end of the year. You know, of course, what that means. Fewer than 10 days until we start again. At least for those of us who are on a calendar fiscal year.

Hopefully, most of you are operating off a written marketing plan. And you have executed a fair amount of the tactics in the plan. Now is the time to evaluate.

Did you have measurable goals? What worked? What didn’t work? Are you sure you gave those items that didn’t work a fair shot? Have you learned enough to try again? Are there obstacles (internal politics, budget constraints, wrong audience) that mean you have to rethink how you can be more successful?

Of the items that worked, how could they have worked better? Different method of communication? Different subject matter? Different audience? Could they be expanded or adapted to meet other objectives too?

Don’t just dissect the lackluster tactics. Even a good tool can be sharpened.

What had you planned on doing, but never got around to it? Is it still a viable option for the upcoming year? Why didn’t you implement it? Budget? Lack of internal support? Lack of passion for the idea?

Sometimes you are too close to the trees. Find someone who really gets marketing to help you find the forest again. As we round the bend toward the finish line of ’07, this is the perfect time to try a few tweaks before you really have to give a final grade to your efforts.

If you take the time to do this now, it will make your planning for next year much smarter. Who doesn’t like the sound of that?