We can all relate to that feeling of being reactive in our day to day business, rather than being proactive and staying focused on our long term goals too. Without a clear marketing strategy, key issues being overlooked start to affect your business potential. Some signs your marketing isn’t working to its full potential include:

• Lack of customer enquiries
• Customers have mixed messages on your business product or branding
• Potential customers purchase from your competition

With a little planning and preparation you’ll experience fast growth and greater longevity.

So go ahead, get ready to grow today by reading our 5 steps to grow your business and have a brand that works as hard as you do.

1. Back to Basics

Evaluate where you want your business to be in the next 12months.

We’ve all heard the phrase ‘live in the moment’ and there is definitely merit in doing that personally, but this approach doesn’t translate to brands or business. Ask yourself when did you last review your plan? Where are you now and where do you ultimately want to be?

In today’s hugely competitive environment it’s never been more important to stay one step ahead of the game, which is all about planning ahead and setting business goals. Did you know by setting your goals in writing you are 42% more likely to achieve them? Now that is definitely a step in the right direction!

2. Prioritise

Know which goal comes first. Is it increased market share? Increased brand presence? Or an increased client base?

There are countless ways in which a brand or business can market themselves however before you start looking at your ‘how’ it is crucial to initially define what goal or objective is your absolute number one or non-negotiable.

Do you know what your key business objective is? Do you simply want greater brand presence, or are you focused on increasing your market share through targeting new clients? Maybe you want to achieve three successful new product launches or invest in an online presence. No matter what you want to achieve you need to identify your key goal and objectives, as from here they will be your reference point when developing your ‘how to’ plan.

3. Attracting Attention

Is your company/business collateral up to date? Ask yourself is your messaging targeting your ideal client, at the right places and the right time? If your brand or business is well established there can be a tendency to stick with the status quo when it comes to marketing collateral and promotions. In particular if something has worked for you before and even if it still works, it may lead to the ‘why fix something that isn’t broken’ mentality. The danger here is the ‘leakage’ of missed opportunities for your brand/business and a greater likelihood of spending big bucks on a promotion that isn’t maximised to its full potential, especially across new influential marketing platforms. It’s time to review your collateral and see what is working, what isn’t and what’s missing!

4. Communicate with Clarity

Does your brand messaging clearly reflect who or what you are?

Much like people, brands are a living entity and need a health check every now and then. During the launch phase most brands start off with a well thought out visual identity and strategy that truly reflects the positioning of that brand.

However, there’s an inclination to invest a lot of time and money up front getting your brand just right, then leaving it filed under the set and forget pile. In an increasingly sophisticated world, many brands don’t evolve at the same rate as the company does, which can inhibit growth potential. This can lead to inconsistency between how a company sees itself compared to how the marketplace perceives them.

When did you last research your customers to understand how you are perceived? Does your brand truly reflect how they see you or how you want them to see you?

5. Resource Matching

Ensure your marketing resources match your growth expectations. So now you’ve actioned the first four steps you know where you want to be and how you need to get there but the next big question is ‘Who’ is going to do the ‘How’?

There is no point developing a great strategy that can’t be executed due to lack of time, resources and expert advice. Do you always feel that ‘time’ or more precisely lack of is your biggest obstacle? Have you ever spent two days trying to work out how to set up your email server on your phone, rather than calling in a professional to sort it out immediately, freeing you up to do what you do best? As the saying goes ‘time is money, so stop wasting it!’

To complete the final fifth step towards business growth and success, why not consider partnering with a professional, creative marketing agency that can effectively deliver your company brand marketing needs.

In the coming weeks we will be providing more detailed advice for each of the five steps. You can subscribe to our newsletter using the form below to be notified as we publish new articles.