With the new year brings resolutions of all kinds. Sign up for that French class. Lower your beer/day ratio. Stop putting the FitBit on the cat to earn steps. And for marketers, it’s no different! Here are three suggested resolutions to improve marketing for your business in the new year:
1) “In 2016, we will focus on benefits rather than features.”
The siren song of the features that make you unique can lure you into listing off those specifications in your marketing… and into the perilously rocky coast of Snoreville (just south of Backclickton). Resist the urges to list your features rather than the real sizzle of your steak: How your message will make your audience’s life better.
Will they save time? Stress less? Reconnect with estranged family members? This is the time and place to focus on those emotional benefits. Yes, the ingredients that make it happen are important- but not as important as the real world results of using your Thing ©.
2) “In 2016, I will delegate.”
We all know the Curse of the Entrepreneur, otherwise know as I.C.D.I.M. trap: I could do it myself. And yes, doing it yourself has tons of advantages. You get to meet with your favorite committee of one, everyone agrees and you might save yourself a penny or two by burning the midnight oil.
But here’s the catch- and you know what I’m going to say, but I’m going to say it anyways. You can do many things yourself, but you can’t do ALL the things yourself.
Partnering and delegating to others allows you to more wisely spend the most precious resource you have to improve marketing: Your time. Think of delegating as adding an extension to your brain- you give the direction and let someone else take care of making it sparkle. And when it comes to marketing, there is no comparison between trying to make something from scratch versus the quality you’ll end up with by partnering with experts.
You’ll look good… and you can still take the credit.
3) “In 2016, we will try something new.”
Let’s face it- the same ole is… old. Spice it up. Shake things around. Take some (safe) risks to improve marketing – here are a few fun ideas to experiment with and learn from:
Try using pre-roll ads on YouTube…
Get a tattoo of your logo, in a spot that many people will see…
Add a video link to your email signature…
Try saying something really controversial on social media…
Make pet accessories with your logo on them…
And of course, maybe it’s time to try a whiteboard animation… (You saw that coming from a mile away, didn’t you?)
And let us know how it works out! You only have to try something for the first time once and you might even learn a thing or two.
From our team to yours- wishing you an incredible 2016.
