Annual planning that works has three lines, not fifteen: one obligation that must be met, one leak that must be closed, and one investment that must pay back.
Anything that does not fit those three lines goes on next year’s list.
Want your own three-line plan?
Tell us where you stand today and we will send prioritised actions with costs.
How to prioritise: the four-box framework
Put every idea into one of these. The order of execution is the order you read them.
| Box | What it holds | When |
|---|---|---|
| Mandatory | Legal requirements, security, backups | Now |
| Leaks | Lost enquiries, manual work, commissions | First half of the year |
| Growth | New channels, content, advertising | Once the leaks are closed |
| Experiments | New tools, trials | A fixed small amount |
The mistake most people make is starting at the third box. Advertising for a business that loses enquiries means paying to lose more of them.
Where the budget goes
A realistic allocation for a small or medium business:
| Category | Share of digital budget |
|---|---|
| Infrastructure and compliance | 20% – 25% |
| Website and content | 25% – 30% |
| Advertising | 25% – 35% |
| Tools and subscriptions | 10% – 15% |
| Experiments | 5% – 10% |
The total digital budget typically sits at 5%–15% of turnover, depending on sector and growth stage.
The percentages are not the critical part. What matters is that the last line exists at all. Without a fixed small amount for trials, every new tool looks like a risk and ends up never being tested.
What genuinely changes this year
Three things affecting your planning, whatever your sector.
1. How people find you. A share of searches is now answered without a click through to a website. Your information needs to be structured, consistent and shaped to answer questions — not decorative copy. The wider picture is in how AI is changing small business.
2. Invoicing obligations. Electronic transmission and invoicing is being phased across all transaction types. This is an operational matter, not a marketing one — see what applies in e-invoicing and myDATA, and confirm the timeline with your accountant.
3. The cost of advertising. It keeps climbing. Anything bringing customers without recurring spend — content, reviews, repeat customers — gains in relative value.
The five questions of the annual review
Answer these before allocating a single euro:
- How many enquiries were lost last year because nobody replied in time?
- Which task eats the most time and repeats identically every time?
- What does a new customer cost and what do they leave you?
- What would happen if your server or account disappeared tomorrow morning?
- Which channel brought the customers who stayed?
The third determines whether you should spend more or less — the calculation is in digital marketing ROI.
The fifth is the one most businesses cannot answer, and it is the most expensive thing not to know.
Want help with the five questions?
Send us last year’s numbers and we will return the answers with recommendations.
What is worth ignoring
Just as important as what you will do.
- A new social platform because “it’s the next big thing”.
- A mobile app, unless your customer needs it weekly.
- A redesign for aesthetic reasons, if the current site converts.
- A tool that solves a problem you do not have.
- A content strategy across five channels when you are not covering one.
The rule to keep: one focus per quarter. Four finished projects a year are worth more than twelve half-finished ones.
Frequently asked questions
How often do I revise the plan?
Quarterly for progress, annually for priorities. More often than that and you are chasing noise.
I have no budget — what do I do first?
The map profile, backups, and how fast you reply to enquiries. All three cost time, not money.
How do I know the plan worked?
If by year end you can answer the five questions with numbers, it worked — regardless of what you implemented.
Do I need a consultant?
For the planning, not necessarily. For implementing the technical parts, usually yes.
I am starting from zero. Does the same apply?
No — start with the first steps and come back here at your next annual planning round.
The first step
Write your three lines: one obligation, one leak, one investment. With a figure next to each.
If you struggle to fill in the second, ask your team what slows them down most. They will answer in under a minute.
Next step
Book a free 30-minute call with the team at The Dev Alley. We will look at where you stand and build this year’s plan together.