New Year, New Start. It may be a little clichéd, but why not use the start of a new decade to take a fresh look at your marketing plans for the next 12 months.
Hopefully, you’ve had a bit of time off over the Christmas period to think about your plans for 2020. If not, do that now. As a business owner, you have invested time and money to get you to where you are today (not to mention the emotional cost).
On the one hand, that is wonderful, and you should be proud of your achievements. On the other hand, your view of your business is probably somewhat blinkered. The phrase ‘can’t see the wood for the trees’ comes to mind. Now is the time to stand back and look at where your business is currently and where you want it to be over the coming months.
Easier said than done
If you find yourself drawn into the minutiae of your day-to-day business, enlist the help of an honest friend or someone in your business network to talk through your thoughts and ideas for the growth and development of your business.
Better still, if you are serious about growing your business, get an expert advisor on board. With the benefit of being partially removed from your business, they will offer independent advice, provide guidance on actions you should take and act as an accountability partner to make sure you are carrying out those actions.
Where do you want to be in 12 months’ time?
Do you know what or how you need to improve to grow your business next year?
I met a potential new client at a recent business networking event (see Issue 13, The Power of Networking). We arranged to meet with a view to discussing her desire to attract new customers looking to buy high-end home products. Prior to the meeting, I reviewed her website and social media pages. The first thing I noticed was the warm, fun and vibrant personality of this lady was missing from her marketing despite the use of good photography and being consistent on social media.
Following our meeting, we agreed that her marketing strategy for 2020 will revolve around repositioning her business to attract her target customers. We will be incorporating her story into her marketing activity, making her a visible part of her business and also, we will be reviewing the customer experience, interaction, and retention.
Being heavily involved with the day-to-day running of her business (and rightly so), she did not see what was obvious to an outsider.
If 2020 is going to be a great year for your business, make it a New Year Resolution to review your marketing plans.
Reproduced courtesy of Made Magazine, www.madeinn.co.uk. Made is bi-monthly lifestyle magazine covering the North Notts region’s events, news and features, showcasing the most compelling people, travel, outdoor pursuits, food, culture and style.