Do you want to grow your business in 2016? Take these Marketing Challenges
Hey, did you write down all your New Year resolutions? I am sure you did! But did you also write all the challenges you are willing to face this year? If you want to grow your business and put your magnifying glass on the marketing quality, then there is no easy way. No pain, no gain.
What to expect to do more of in 2016
Be more sensitive to your customers’ needs and requests
It’s easy to look at what your competitors are doing, but do you really think they know what they are doing? Do you think they know if what they are doing is the right thing to do?
In 2016, your focus should be on your customers. Only they have the right answer to your business needs. They pay for your products and services, so they pay your salaries. Give them the right amount of attention. Ask them who they are, what they like and how to communicate with them. Also, work to create extra value for them and innovate.
Improve your core business
Go on your website right now and read you values. Do your values impact the quality of your services and products? If the answer is NO, you should reconsider what your company stands for and/or improve your story.
Your values should be more than just a statement. You should use them to guide your decisions, your actions and also to differentiate your business from your competitors.
For example, if one of your company values is “trust” but your sales agents lie and you often don’t keep your promises or “forget” to pay your suppliers, and you don’t do anything about it, then you should reconsider this value.
Also, if you do your homework and start listening to your customers, you could find that you need to change your company behavior and be more agile, more digital, more transparent. Don’t forget that the only constant in life is change. 🙂
Update your communication materials
Ok, so let’s say you know who your customers are and you’ve revisited your core business. Then it’s time to let everyone know that you’ve changed. Work on the packaging of your products, give your employees new uniforms, update your sales team’s presentation speech etc.
Update your website
A good frequency for updating your website is every time you have a new marketing campaign. But let’s say you didn’t update your website for the last 3 years. If that is true, then you should consider the next updates:
- Restructure your website to be responsive and mobile friendly;
- Create a blog and write new posts, at least monthly;
- Update your texts;
- Use more videos and call to actions;
- Tell a story;
- Use animations and gifs;
- Consider a flat design;
Remember that your website is the business card and the sales-man of your online presence. If you want to get new customers, you should also have a new visual approach.
Create more content
The war for the right positioning in the mind of the customers is won with many small battles. A big part of your brand experience consists of what you say, how you say it and how often.
In the era of Social Media, you have to fight with quality content. Upgrade your copywriting skills and keep writing. Make a plan, be consistent and don’t give up.
Invest more in online advertising
Good content can get you new customers, but it takes time and not all your blog posts will go viral. The fastest and cheapest way to get new customers is by investing in online advertising. Your competition is probably already investing. Also, keep in mind that your online competitors could be very different than the market leaders or other offline competitors.
The right online mix that you should follow is: have a good website that has a good conversion rate -> create quality blog articles -> invest in online advertising campaigns -> convert the website visitors into clients or newsletter subscribers.
Don’t be afraid to fail or to get help
If you don’t try new things, you will never fail and never learn anything new. To grow, you have to be prepared to fail and ask for help. You have to understand that it’s impossible to know everything and be the best in every business area. You can always ask a friend, hire new people or work with an agency. Don’t stop.
I hope that everything in this article is not new to you and that most of the challenges in this list are already checked. If not, take the challenge and upgrade your marketing for 2016.
Yours dedicated,
Călin Biriș
Digital Director
