In the last couple of years there have been some major changes in the United Kingdom that have had an impact on the business world, Brexit and GDPR being the main two. But what has this meant to business in the UK?
I am often hearing the owners of businesses of all sizes and industries using one or the other and in some cases both as a reason that they are not seeing the successes they have achieved in the past.
I have conversations with many businesses each and every week, this mind set appears to account for at least 25% of them. They all have some similar views on business and I will come to this a little later.
The first question I pose is, is this reality or just a way to justify failure?
Albert Einstein once said, ‘If you always do what you always did, you will always get what you always got.’ As much as there is truth in this, it’s actually worse than that in the modern day. Technology moves on at a rate of knots and this is aligned with the expectations of your target audience. The harsh reality of this is that even doing what you always did is more likely to take you backwards rather than, even, stay the same.
It is imperative that you are always looking two, three or even four moves ahead at what your next product, service level or strategy is going to be in order to continue your success.
Right, back to this 25% that like the ‘Blame game’, it is clear within this section of business owners and heads is marketing is deemed as a cost and not an investment. They are not seeing the VALUE that, even, some small changes can make to their bottom line. Obviously, marketing can, at times, be difficult to get your head around and with thousands of marketing technology products at your disposal it can be daunting but, it really doesn’t need to be! There are many things you can do for ‘quick wins’ and these can be done in-line with a longer-term strategy.
Below are some of the things you can start with for immediate changes in your business
Audience/ Customer
Really focus on who you want to attract. Who are they and what do they look like, by this I mean, age, location, job title etc align your tone of voice accordingly. Ensure you are always focused on the key decision makers and pitch at that level, without losing sight of influencers.
Competitors
This can also be a mine field as competitors are not always businesses that offer exactly the same service, but businesses are competing for the same pot of budget. This said, as a starting point, look at the direct competitors, look at ones that, on the face of it are doing well and in addition at those which are not so successful. How are they marketing themselves? How are they positioning themselves? What do you feel is good, bad and indifferent!
Tell
Actually, tell your target audience who you are, what you do and why they should be speaking to you. In this day and age, you can be found online if someone is looking hard enough, but make it easy for them, ensure that you are front on mind when they are looking for a new widget or meal out. You do this, and you will have an immediate increase in business.
Goals
Create a plan of where you want to be and by when. Start with the end goal in mind. Once you know this creating the strategy behind it has more clarity.
Budget
There are a number of aspects of marketing that you are able to do for little or no budget but depending on your goals and expectations you need to consider the budget that you are setting to any activity. Certainly, when you are starting out always look at where the budget is being spent and the direct results of your efforts. If a sales/ marketing activity is not performing look at making changes to the tone, style or even the medium. Create, test and tinker!
Make it scalable
With any changes you make within a business to increase sales and make yourselves more profitable you need to ensure that the underlining plan is scalable. The worst thing that can happen is you grow at a rate that isn’t sustainable and you struggle to give the same service. By ensuring that you are in a position that you can, at a push of a button, increase revenue but at the RIGHT time. Recruitment is often key to this. As an example, knowing that you can recruit at entry level at the drop a hat but struggle with finding staff who are trained and ready to hit the ground running. As part of your strategy, you must have a training programme so it’s all about promoting from within.
Don’t stop
Just because you are busy today it doesn’t mean you will be tomorrow. It takes time and perseverance to keep a good flow of custom and if you are not in the marketing game then once the current flow naturally drops off you have 3-6-12 months to get it back to where you need it to be. You can reduce some of your activity but do NOT stop.
Stop blaming others, take control and make yourself a success, money doesn’t solve all the problems in the world but as Derek Trotter once said, ‘it takes the sting out of being poor!’
We at Vinco Marketing run several different marketing activities for our clients. We also run various training sessions to empower you deliver business success through targeted marketing.
We offer a free no obligation consultation to discuss your needs and requirements so if there are elements of business, sales and marketing where we can assist then contact us today.
