As we fast approach the time for Christmas jingles and parties, it might also be a great time for your small business to look at its marketing plan for 2012.

As a small business marketing consultant based in Sydney, October to March is the busiest time for us with people who are looking at their marketing activity for the year ahead.

There a some great things about a plan. They provide some structure to your general work load, allowing you to plan for internal and external resources. Plans also provide you with a structured idea of your spend on marketing for the following year, allowing you to budget for this as part of your overall business activities. Finally, plans allow for changes along the way, but in creating a guide for the year ahead, they allow for different touch points to be communicated to, removing the opportunity for ad-hoc communication that reaches nobody. The time is now!