MARKETING RESOLUTIONS! When new years comes around we often will make resolutions to improve our appearance (through more exercise, etc.), be more successful, or improve how we are seen by others. Rarely do we set out the same strict guidelines for our business. New years resolutions are always based on self-improvement, and usually are spurred by where we see fault in ourselves. The same scrutiny that goes into finding self-modifications should be spent on your business also. Here are some places to start looking to see where your marketing could possibly improve… and most importantly… why! 1: Your Logo: Chances are if you could answer yes to any two of the following things, it may be important to look into either updating or redoing your logo: If you remember from previous articles, your logo is how people perceive your company and remember it. If it doesn’t do it for you anymore, or your company has changed a lot over the years it may be time to look into giving it a work-out! 2: Your Website: Most people will automatically say that their website will “do” as they see the investment of updating it costly. However many businesses fail to remember that most people will determine whether they will purchase your product or service based on the first 5 seconds of impression that your website makes. Here are some questions to ask yourself: If you answered no to any of those questions, you may want to consider an over-haul on your website. It is important that your website is not only accessible, but attractive, so maybe putting it in your 2012 budget is a good idea! 3: Your Brand/Print Material: People tend to start advertising for specific occasions (ie. christmas), additional services, improvement of technology, provision of different products. With these changes, they tend to have a tunnel vision when it comes to their marketing. However, it is quite common for a business to create a set of conflicting different styles that undermine their original brand. Often it is good to revisit your brand and work to either re-create it, or get your design back on track. Some things to ponder: It is important that all your advertising relates back to your brand, and your company. While each piece needs to work as a whole, it should also be able to stand alone to communicate at least 3 consistent key messages (ie. technologically savvy, affordable, etc). It also should be completely original (thus not using stock images or clip-art) and should be something that would make any competition weep. If you can’t say that about your advertising, chances are you are undermining your brand and need to look to improve this streak! 4: Your “Cool Quotient” Whether or not you are a company that strives to convey a technological competency, or whether you just want valued customers, it is important that your company keep up to date with technology. While advertising in the yellow pages still proves to be lucrative, is your website viewable on a mobile phone? You may not think it is important, but if you want to keep growing, you need to keep bringing in new and loyal customers. These customers should be young adults at the oldest. To analyze whether they will be likely to interact with you, ask yourself: Simply by adding a few things that make your company accessible and attractive to new customer’s can help you make sure you meet your goals of 2012! How to Go About Changing Things Really the process is simple, and can be a lot more affordable than you think. Don’t be worried if all can’t be done this year, just remember those things for your next year’s resolution.
