By Hanah Van Borek
Hopefully our last post got the wheel turning and helped you realize it’s not too late to reevaluate your strategy in 2013 thus far. Once that crucial review has happened you’ll have a clearer idea of what is and isn’t working. The next challenge is execution.
To help you begin we’ve outlined four key areas where businesses commonly fail and how to improve:
Brand Health
Is your brand garnering a bad rep, or no rep at all? Letting go of a defunct brand is tough since it’s a huge part of your company identity, but if you’re not getting the reaction you want it’s worthwhile to reconsider. In need of a total makeover? Start at the beginning with that initial creative brief. Chances are those key associations you used to pair with your company have evolved or need tweaking. Then sit down with a few branding experts and have them show you samples. Take your time with it – this is not a decision you want to rush. Get as much trusted feedback as you can.
Media Awareness
If all your campaigns to date have managed to drum up are crickets, there are one of two possibilities. Either your angle and approach stink, or you need to give it more time (it can take a while to get through). If your situation is more the former, some brainstorming and research are in order. You may need to dig deeper to find out exactly what’s being said about your company and your industry; get your finger on the pulse. You may also be going after the wrong folks, for example, if you have a very niche product and general business folks aren’t biting, start first by approaching the verticals of that niche.
Customer Communication (Direct)
The relationship you have with existing customers is precious; it’s what keeps them coming back and bringing you referrals. You must not only be responsive to them but also motivate a response (a positive one of course). There are a variety of ways to do this, but a lot will depend on your market and those segments within. For example, a newsletter may be an appropriate initiative, or a simple e-mail campaign can be just as effective. Consider social media here as well, where the goal is not just growing as many followers as possible, but actually connecting and engaging with the ones you have.
Web Activity
What was the last lead you got from your website, let alone the last click or view? This might be a web emergency you don’t want to ignore because you could be missing out! 67% of the typical “B2B buyer’s journey” is now done digitally (SiriusDecisions CXO Study 2013). It’s likely not just a case of a bad layout or poor navigation, but in how people are finding you, which is where SEO optimization and in-bound links comes in. Once people find you, they also need a call to action. For this, you may not need to revamp the whole site, some simple coding enhancements could be all it takes.
