Let's say the wing-it approach isn't working. You've decided building a marketing strategy and tracking your progress will help you meet your business goals. But where do you start?

It takes more than a bulleted list of talking points and an eye-catching logo to build brand recognition for your company, according to Marketing Land. The ideal first step is to think about the process as a whole. Sure, it's enticing to jump into creating messaging, but let's lay the groundwork for success first.

Identifying Your Basic Marketing Needs

There's no reason to launch a creative campaign before you've defined your goals, explored your resources and accepted the amount and type of work you can realistically manage.

1. What are your goals?

You want more sales, more recognition and to become the brand that rolls off the tips of tongues everywhere. But dig deeper. Have you identified factors that can be measured and evaluated over time?

Chances are, you've probably heard about the General Data Protection Regulation, a policy that took effect May 25, 2018, and requires organizations across the world to change the way they obtain and store customer data from citizens of the European Union. 

But, even if you're a U.S.-based local business that doesn't store information from anyone in the EU, it's a good idea to familiarize yourself with the policy because other regions may soon adopt similar requirements — which could have significant ramifications for your local digital marketing.

Here's what local businesses need to know: 

Local Solutions is proud to have worked with Body Details for the past three years. In this Business Spotlight, learn how Local Solutions helped grow this 4 location laser clinic to 7, delivering over 100% revenue growth in less than 3 years.

Body Details has dared to be different, bold, and strategic as a small business in a major market. They recognized the importance of being present through all stages of the consumers’ buying journey, while understanding that efficiency is critical to success. As behaviors continue to shift online, Local Solutions and Body Details have worked closely together to ensure the campaign approach adjusts to engage with and market to the right clientele.

“We partnered with Cox Media Group, a media company that has deep roots at the local level and national expertise. Together, we have embarked on an omni-channel marketing campaign focused on lead generation.” Says Claudio Sorrentino, owner of Body Details.

There are still a couple weeks left in 2017, but marketers are already looking toward next year and the new marketing trends they should factor into their budgets. While it's impossible to know specifically what challenges the new year will bring, a few 2018 marketing trends are already forming.

Invest in Video Ads, Especially on Facebook

Streaming video on social media was one of the biggest growth drivers in 2017, so it comes as no great surprise that the trend will continue into next year. Recode reported that video ad spending is expected to grow 49 percent (to roughly $18 billion) in 2018.

As streaming on laptops and other large-display devices further declines, mobile streaming will continue to dominate other devices. Although mobile video has spread across the web, the most views in 2018 will still come from social media — specifically Facebook — making spending on this platform essential in the new year for even the most budget-conscious marketers.

There's no denying the power of content marketing. Not only does it cost 62 percent less than outbound marketing efforts, it also generates more than three times the number of leads, according to Demand Metric.

However, while a well-developed content marketing strategy can keep your audience engaged and your sales pipeline full, not every organization is successful in their efforts. So, what can you do to make sure your strategy delivers the results you want?

Here are three common questions that marketers must ask themselves when creating and optimizing content.

Digital audio offers great flexibility in how it's consumed, allowing users to listen during their daily commutes, at work, mowing the lawn and in dozens of other scenarios — all enabled by their mobile devices.

Brands outside the audio industry are beginning to see the opportunity of an audio streaming service as an advertising opportunity. According to a survey from Advertising Age reported by eMarketer, on average, 7 percent of advertising budgets were allocated to digital audio. But those same respondents expected this budget share to reach 11.6 percent within the next year.

Building a digital campaign isn't the end of a marketer's hard work. Measuring performance is crucial to understanding value and future campaign decisions. Marketers and their leadership need to understand the cost of these campaigns relative to the value they bring in, particularly when compared to other digital campaigns.

No company wants to waste money on marketing strategies that don't pay off. Here's a simple guide to identifying the right metrics, measuring performance and making business decisions based on campaign ROI.

Innovations in technology have transformed not just automotive marketing, but the entire industry. It's critical to know and understand how digital marketing solutions can and should be implemented for the auto industry, as well as how traditional media remains useful.

1. Get Personal

Your customer will most likely begin his or her car-buying research online. This is an ideal opportunity to take advantage of search retargeting, which places a piece of code into the browsers of customers who search for specific terms. Savvy media placement can deliver the matching make and model in ads that will appear in those customers' web searches or Facebook newsfeeds. The trick is to manage the data effectively.