This is the time of the year where many of us get stuck into resolutions.
Gyms are full, people are taking up new hobbies (and saying goodbye to old habits) and businesses are also looking at what they are going to change for the New Year.
2020 brought to stark reality for all of us the old saying that "the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry".
Maybe you've even seen the articles that have popped up in the news and social media claiming that based on 2020's experiences, making resolutions and setting goals is basically pointless.
However, my view is that now is as good of a time as any to make a resolution to improve the way you promote and advertise your business online.
Why?
Because the other lesson 2020 taught us is that the power of the Internet cannot be overlooked for doing business in these uncertain times.
We have all had to become more accustomed to doing business online, and this trend will likely only continue into 2021 and beyond.
Therefore, I want to suggest a "New Year's Digital Marketing Resolution" that will help you to respond to the changing, increasingly-online commercial environment in which we find ourselves.
That resolution can be summed up as "Simplicity + Consistency = Success".
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Over the past few years of working to help dozens of businesses identify how to improve the performance and efficiency of their digital marketing, I have found that the most successful businesses hone in with relentless focus on two key concepts:
- Simplicity - Instead of trying to do everything (often due to attempting to emulate large brands with massive budgets who are able to do everything) the most successful businesses understand that it is better to do a handful of digital marketing activities well, as opposed to trying to be everywhere at once. There can be a great deal of temptation to spread yourself too thin online, because of just how many opportunities and platforms exist. Do not fall into this trap. Identify your "best fit" opportunities and extract the maximum value from them. The message of simplicity also applies to your messaging. How clearly and succinctly are you able to articulate the value of your products/services to your target market? If you cannot be simple in your messaging, then you will likely struggle to succeed.
- Consistency - Once you have decided where you wish to focus your efforts (as per the step above) then you need to be consistent in your activity. Don't fade away over the year like many do with their personal New Year's resolutions. Come end of Q1, there will be many a forlorn gym membership card sitting around, unloved and unused. The same applies for marketing; by the end of the quarter, many businesses will have fallen back into their old ways of stumbling from one piece of occasional, unplanned activity to the next. Instead, ensure that you have the time and resources in your business to commit to completing your chosen program of activity to a high standard.
This process - of course - sounds easier on paper than it is in real life.
In my experience, the hardest parts are:
- Selecting the appropriate activity (channels/platforms, activity frequency, and messaging/content) for your business and formulating this into a workable, attainable plan that has buy-in across the business.
- Ensuring that the plan is consistently and diligently worked through. This is the most challenging component by far.
Over the coming weeks, I will be sharing more information and insight on how you can achieve these two challenging but very valuable objectives so that you can succeed in digital marketing in 2021.
If you want to get the ball rolling faster, then email info@samfrost.co.nz, and we can book in a no-obligation call to discuss how to improve your digital marketing performance in 2021 and beyond, by being simpler and more consistent in your activity.
I look forward to helping your business grow this year.