As a new year begins it’s usually a time for resolving to make amends. To evaluate what has worked in the past year, as well as what might need to be changed. We usually apply this thought process to our personal lives, but it is certainly applicable to our businesses too. It is time to evaluate what has worked over the past year, and what might need a little tweaking!
Here are a few tips that might help:
- Think outside of the box. Try to state the obvious differently so that your message doesn’t get lost by being too familiar and less memorable. It’s better to stand out than be disregarded as marketing “noise.”
- Sometimes it’s hard to say exactly what we mean. When this happens, a graphic or picture may help to illustrate or enhance meaning.
- Use the KISS method, “Keep It Simple, Stupid.” Make it complicated and you risk losing your audience. Be direct and don’t convolute your message with too much fine print. Make sure that your key information on a vehicle wrap still pops and don’t dilute the key messages.
- Updating your marketing materials or signage may seem like a daunting task, however, a few simple tweaks that create the feeling of the “new you” may be just the ticket.
- Make sure that your branding is consistent, especially if you have multiple product lines. Sometimes the task of differentiating between products results in some inconsistent branding and you certainly want to avoid that.
- You should not standardize your marketing effort, e.g. consider attention grabbing display items and putting your logo on them. It may help improve your sales volumes.
- Share information that you know with your customers. For example, if you’ve become a maven of social media share what you know, or at a minimum your social media guru’s contact information. Believing in abundance will help you realize that such information, just like love, is meant to be shared.
- Offering a free consultation is a mechanism for giving and for gaining. Try it, helping walk someone through their own marketing ideas will invariably give you some perspective that might help you and other customers.
- Keep your eyes and ears tuned to what your competition is doing. You may get some great ideas that you would otherwise not have thought of.
- Don’t get mad if a specific idea does not work! Marketing is a soft science that requires continual tweaking!
Simply being open to pursuing marketing plans and goals in a new and different way will open you to lots of new possibilities. If you need help from a veteran marketer with 30 plus years of corporate marketing and finance training, coupled with the expertise of a veteran sign designer, then look no further. Call SignWorks today at (510) 357-2000. Wishing you every success in 2011!