2020 has been a challenging year for businesses, and it has been more important than ever to get ahead of the competition and really stand out. While standard marketing techniques used to be okay, this year has been a challenge. Stores have had to close, and focus has firmly turned to online and digital means of communication. Because of this, it means companies have really needed to sort out their websites, social media presence, and online strategies to retain existing customers and to get new ones. If you have found yourself suffering in the past few months and wondering how to improve, or simply want to better your business, it is important to look at your marketing strategy and leverage your business above the others. Take a look at what you currently do, what works, and what doesn’t, and think about how you can keep improving. Get all your facts and figures of your business together, work out what you are spending in what areas and find out how you can cut this down to save costs without causing you to lose sales. It can feel a bit of a minefield coming up with an initial plan to leverage your business in these strange times, but once you get started, you will be grateful that you have. Here are just a few ways to leverage your business above the competition…
1. Find ways to stand out from the crowd
It is more important now than ever that you stand out from the crowd with your business – you can’t be using the same techniques as everyone else. Work hard with your marketing team to think of ways that you can truly differentiate yourself. This may be that you do an extraordinary marketing campaign that gathers a lot of attention or offering additional services your competitors don’t. While campaigns like this can take a while to think of and don’t always guarantee to have as great a success rate as you might hope, when done right, they go really well. You could find someone to endorse your brand, do a big competition, or a tweet that manages to go viral!
2. Drone photography and videos
Drones have the power to quite literally take businesses to the next level and make them more money along the way. They can positively impact many industries, including property, travel, marketing, and tourism. These are highly competitive and saturated markets, meaning it is more important now than ever for companies to have the upper hand and win over their competitors. With jaw-dropping footage and photos, drones are an ideal choice to get the upper hand. Over the past few years, drones have changed their stance, for a while they used to be seen as an unobtainable luxury, they are now a lot more accessible with lower price points and being sold in many more shops. When you are planning your business marketing strategy for 2021, be sure to add drone footage in with this and capture some fantastic photos and video footage to entice people to invest in your property or head to your holiday destination. There are many out there, from the DJI Mini 2 to the Mavic Pro, do your research and find the best one for you.
3. Create a strong marketing plan
No business can hope to improve or leverage above the competition without a strong marketing plan. A marketing plan will ensure you know exactly what you are doing when, and help you to prepare for the most successful results possible. It will also mean you can keep track of what is working for you and what doesn’t, allowing you to alter your strategy as and when you need. A marketing plan is good for providing focus of how to implement your marketing strategy and so everyone knows what they should be doing well. It provides transparency and has measurable metrics which can be tracked over time so you can see what works and what doesn’t.
4. Work on your social media presence
Most brands out there have a social media profile, if not multiple, yet it is important that you utilize them properly. There is no point having social media profiles if you don’t use them to their full potential, or don’t use the ones that your audience will engage with. Think of the different profiles that you have and come up with a proper plan for them. Rewrite your bios to something that is interesting and engaging, post regular content that has use for those who engage with you and use it to instigate interaction with your followers. Many customers will use social media to get in touch with you with questions or queries, so be sure that you answer them quickly and efficiently. It also gives you a good idea of current trends and what people are talking about, so you can jump on any possible trends.
5. Ensure you have sleek branding
Your branding is one of the most important elements of your business as it is this which your customers will base you off. Alongside a memorable logo, good branding increases the value of your company and helps you to acquire new customers. It means people will recognize you and the face of your business, it creates trust, support advertising and can instigate conversation. Be sure that your branding is consistant throughout all of your different platforms, from your website to your social media to your marketing materials. You want your branding to be reminiscent of what you do, but also to stand apart from your competitors. Make it easy to distinguish in a crowd, but also not too complex and try to keep with only no more than three colours; these should be your base, your accent and then a neutral colour.
6. Invest in your employees
Your employees are the backbone to your business and without them, you will find it difficult to take your business any further. Be sure to invest in them as they will work harder and overall improve the performance of your company. You want to build a loyal team that aims to achieve the same goals as you – to make the business a success. This can only happen if your employees are treated well and made to feel appreciated. Check in with them regularly to ensure they are happy and if they have any queries or concerns and find out where they see themselves in the company. If they want to head to a different department or are aiming for a promotion, let them know what they can do to get there and invest in training to assist them with their goal. They will appreciate this in the long term and are likely to be a much more loyal employee going forward.
7. Set clear goals
It is very important to set goals within your business so you can focus on achieving the desirable outcomes you wish for. Think of what you want to achieve and make goals so you can do this. Your goals could be selling a certain amount of your products or services, making a certain amount of profit, growing your website views by a specific amount, or achieving a social media milestone. By setting clear goals you know what you are aiming to achieve and can work hard to focus and reach them with a clear strategy. Be sure to set goals that are a bit of a challenge but also realistic too. If they are too easy you can find you lose your way, but if they are too difficult, you can find motivation and productivity both drop at the inability to hit them.
8. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes
Mistakes happen in business and that is not necessarily a bad thing. Without mistakes it can be much harder to learn and improve as you won’t know what works and what doesn’t. Embrace things that you try that don’t necessarily work out as they were meant to and use it to think of how you can improve for the future. Whether you had a marketing campaign which didn’t work as you had expected, a product that didn’t fly off the shelves, or something else, take time to analyze it and work out why it happened. You could use a feedback form to speak to your customer base and discover their thoughts, get together with your different teams, and formulate a strategy moving forward.
These are just some of the ways that you can leverage your business above the competition. It is important in times such as this year that you continue to innovate and work hard to get your business seen by those who are looking for your product or service. No matter the type of industry you operate in, or the customers you are wanting to acquire, remember there are always things you can do which can take your business up a level. Ensure you start with the basics such as having strong branding and social media profiles, then take it up to the next step with your marketing and social media plan. What are some of the top ways you like to leverage your business? Which steps will you take first?
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