As we move into the oncoming year, we often challenge ourselves to reflect on what worked and what did not in our lives. This introspection should lead to changes in the way we think and act.
Your business can take this strategy to heart. The start of a new calendar year brings with it opportunities to shed bad habits and cultivate new ones. In the spirit of self-improvement, here are three New Year’s Resolutions for your business to consider.
Spend More Time with Loved Ones
What this Means for Your Business: Make customer retention as important as acquisition.
Growth will always fuel our businesses, but one step forward should not cause two steps back. To avoid alienating our existing clients, we should renew efforts to remind them that relationships are important.
Customer retention should become as vital to branding as looking “new” or “unique.” Your organization must be seen as reliable to take advantage of the foundations that you have worked so hard to build.
A great way to accomplish this goal is to forge new ties with your departments in charge of CRM. Find out what clients are worried about, and what they think works. Make efforts to change your business for the better. Let your marketing reflect your dedication to preserving meaningful bonds between you and your client base.
Give More
What it Means for Your Business: Develop sophisticated content strategies that are relevant and interesting.
Generosity is about giving something without expecting anything in return. This idea may not make business sense, but tying useful content in with an offer or a reminder of your services does not technically qualify as an expectation.
Instead, you are teaching your clientele that your organization is there as a resource for them when they need it. Even if they do not use your services or products directly, they are becoming familiar with your brand and spreading the word of your content to others.
As a stellar example, the UK brand Vanish offers a catch-all stain removal resource on their website. Rather than simply recommending product after product as a solution to their needs, they have general advice for people to use in a pinch.
After repeat visits, they may be more drawn to Vanish products by proxy, since the brand appears so knowledgeable about their area of expertise. This strategy blurs the line between products and services, and can foster positive associations with your brand.
Do Not Be Afraid to Try New Things
What it Means for Your Business: Come to grips with the rise of new technology like mobile and video.
Responsive design has become less about creating a similar experience between desktop, tablet and smartphone users. Instead, it is more about offering unique experiences tailored to the medium. Mobile site visits in particular have overtaken PC or laptop traffic within the past couple of years, meaning mobile users should be catered to for their interest.
Your organization absolutely needs to catch up by demonstrating that you understand contemporary design sensibilities. Users have excellent memory recall for dated site layouts. When they recognize one, they can begin to make negative assumptions about your brand. Do not make this mistake. Place someone savvy with the latest trends and technology at the fore-front of your digital marketing design team.
Likewise, video has begun to come into its own on mobile platforms. No longer the lagging, pixelated image of its former self, new video is sleek, smart and integrated well with whatever digital platform it is presented on. Consider repurposing some of your marketing content into informative, entertaining and digestible videos. They have the potential to get you more buzz and have a habit of going viral at the drop of a hat when they give audiences something they crave.
When your organization makes an effort to adopt these three maxims into the heart of their digital marketing strategy, you increase your odds of success. So turn a new leaf in 2015 and make a pledge to avoid the mistakes of yesteryear.