As a business owner and/or marketer, how would you rate your marketing game?
If it is coming up short of the desired results, do you have a plan in place to change the direction it is headed? In the event you do not, will you sit idly by and watch competitors reap the rewards of your inept marketing abilities?
Unfortunately, some businesses do just that.
They try to market their products and/or services, but ultimately come to the conclusion that they can’t for this or that reason. As a result, the competition gets rich off of them.
So that you do not end up kicking yourself for what effectively are bad marketing practices, stop and listen for a moment.
You can in fact turn things around if you’re so determined.
Don’t Settle for Second-Rate Marketing Initiatives
If the time has come to turn your marketing initiatives around so you can win a little bit more, remember the following four tips:
- Goals – First and foremost, what are your goals with your marketing program? Having clearly defined goals is crucial in order for you to succeed. If you’re a small business, you probably have some roadblocks in your way at times, notably your marketing budget. That said it does not mean you can’t accomplish satisfactory results. With this year almost in the books, now would be a good time to review what you set forth as far as marketing goals for 2017;
- Listening – You may think you are a marketing whiz (perhaps you are to one degree or another), but it never hurts to listen to others in the profession. If you have a marketing team in your office, have regular meetings to iron out where the marketing initiatives are headed. You might also find this great marketing podcast of great benefit to your endeavors. Such podcasts can provide a plethora of good marketing information like trends in the industry, where consumers have their heads at these days, why social media can never be taken for granted etc. There are more and more marketing podcasts, videos etc. on the market today than ever before. As such, you can learn lots of good information, information that you can then take and apply to your marketing strategies. While it is perfectly fine to think you know just about all there is to know regarding marketing, keeping your ears and eyes open never hurts.
Networking with Other Marketing Pros
- Networking – It is one of the proven ways of getting new business leads, yet so many businesses (and marketers for that matter) drop the ball all too often when it comes to networking. As a result, they miss out on some golden opportunities to secure new business. While your marketing budget may be tight, you should do all you can to attend valuable marketing conferences etc. Even if you have to meticulously pick and choose which ones to attend, do it. The door is open to potential new business at each and every conference, trade show, chamber of commerce event etc. Make those doors open even wider by attending and solidifying new business leads;
- Hiring – Last but certainly not least, are you hiring the right marketing talent at your business? In some cases, the answer to that question may be no. If you are not, that needs to change sooner rather than later. Take a look at what some of your competitors are doing when it comes to those they hire. Where are they getting these hires from? What kind of opportunities are they giving them to succeed in their careers? Knowing what winning marketing pros want from a business etc. is something you can never take for granted.
With 2017 just around the bend, take the time now to make sure your marketing goals for next year are ready to rock.
If they’re not, you could find yourself on the outside looking in when it comes to adding more business.
Photo credit: Pixabay
About the Author: Dave Thomas covers business and marketing topics on the web.
