New Year, new you!
Many individuals believe that January 1st is a way to reset and start setting and accomplishing personal goals for the upcoming year. However, while most are focusing inward on themselves, why not focus on setting goals for your business? According to Statista, 53% of survey respondents said that their New Years resolution was to save money. With so many individuals looking to withhold purchases in the new year, it can make it difficult for business owners to win over new customers. Businesses need to become increasingly savvy about their marketing tactics and their marketing budgets to win over more customers.
This year, make it your goal to build your brand and market your business more tactfully and effectively. Below are a few resolutions to set for your business that will help you succeed this year and for years to come.
New Resolutions To Build Brand Awareness
Consistent Business Promotion. Consistency is vital when it comes to branding and advertising efforts. If your brand is not always in front of your target audience, they may forget you even exist. Hire a marketing agency if you have the budget, or hire someone in-house with plenty of industry experience who can take the reigns of your marketing efforts. Make sure you keep an open mind when it comes to trying out different channels. Online paid marketing such as Google Ads and social media marketing will ensure that your brand is front and center whenever customers are browsing or shopping with intent. If anything, start the New Year off on the right foot with a marketing plan. Break down the plan by week, month, and quarter. Set revenue goals as well as goals for how many clicks, views, and follows you would like to achieve. Don’t forget to keep your goals reasonable, otherwise, you may be more inclined to give up your resolutions altogether.
Start Networking in Your Industry. Networking may seem old school, but think about how you may have landed your first job. You didn’t have any prior experience so perhaps a friend or family member put in a good word to their boss that landed you a job. Networking works very similarly from a B2B standpoint. Make it a point this year to reach out to those in your industry (yes, even your competitors) to discuss new technology or product developments that have occurred as of late. There’s nothing better than bouncing ideas off of each other, especially at networking events. If you aren’t interested in networking with your competitors, then try connecting with industries that could benefit your own business. For example, a local general dentist who may not provide orthodontics will often recommend a trusted orthodontist down the road. The orthodontist, in turn, will recommend the general dentist. It’s these symbiotic business relationships that end up generating more revenue over the long run.
Become an Expert in Your Field. There’s nothing better than continuing your education, especially if it results in new product or service innovations for your business. Make this the year that you and your employees take an hour or two each week to discuss new developments in your field. Encourage employees to attend classes that will improve their efficiency and creativity in the workplace. Not only will becoming an expert in your field improve your ability to run a business, but also improve your ability to help customers. When a customer asks for product or service recommendations, you will be able to confidently direct them to the best possible solution, which in turn will win their trust. If you don’t already offer learning and development programs in-house, do some research to see how much it would cost to send a few key managers or employees to an industry boot camp. Not only will this build team camaraderie, but also bolster confidence in your employee’s capabilities to help customers.
Stop What’s Not Working and Move Forward. Take the phrase “new year, new you” as literally as you can. If there were branding and marketing strategies that weren’t working for your business last year, then drop those efforts as quickly as possible and refocus. If your third party marketing agency wasn’t meeting your expectations, look for a new one. If your social media strategy wasn’t gaining you more followers, research new tricks. If your website isn’t attracting as many visitors as it used to, try creating a new website. Not all ideas are going to be great ideas, so you need to ensure you’re able to pick up and move on from a branding strategy. For example, if you decided to design a logo for your new business but it wasn’t well received by the public, go back to the drawing board, enlist the help of a logo designer, and rebrand. This can also be applied to business relationships. More often than not business partners will grow apart or develop different opinions regarding how the business is run. Learn to either cut ties or work out differences this year.
Turn Your Focus Towards Online Marketing. Did you know that over 51% of mobile users have discovered new brands while shopping online? Make 2019 the year you focused the majority of your marketing budget on online advertising. First, ensure you have a mobiel responsive business website that clearly displays what products or services you offer, then work with your marketing team to discuss how you want to drive traffic to your website. Look into various online channels such as social media, online forums, remarketing advertising, and paid advertising. To supplement your paid online advertising, make sure your website has an effective SEO strategy. Take the time to run your website through a free SEO site auditing tool such as The Hoth or SEOMator, then make changes throughout the year to improve your business’ online presense.
