If you DON’T want to be successful in business, here are four strategies that can’t fail (warning, your sarcastic meter should be going off as you read the following bullet points):
- Make sure you ask everyone but your actual clients for feedback on your marketing efforts, be sure to include people that don’t understand your business or your clients.
- Instead of testing, testing, and testing again, just guess what your clients will respond to in your advertising and promotions. Conjecture is the best way to launch a new idea.
- Instead of querying a good cross section of your clients, save time and only ask one client what she/he thinks about your marketing efforts and go with what they say.
- Take the “measure once and cut five times approach.” If you’re not sure an advertisement or new brochure will work, and you haven’t tested it first, just hire a creative professional to quickly put it together and just see if it works.
Okay, that’s a lot of sarcasm, but you’d be amazed at how often smaller companies run their business like this—like a butterfly going wherever the wind takes them. If you’ve manage your small business this way, don’t feel bad—most business owners do the same.
I’ve found that most small business owners often ask everyone they know about their marketing, advertising, online video, or design—they’ll ask their friends, family, colleagues, even other creative professionals, but they’re not asking the right people. Worse, owners don’t ask anyone before investing in a creative/marketing project, and they just plain guess on what will work give them the best result. In both cases, small business owners neglect the one group that matters more than any other: their clients. Yes, the people that actually buy from the business, the very lifeblood of the business, are often ignored. If you run a small business, do you do this as well?
Always ask your clients (your best ones) what they think about your marketing projects before you invest money on them, and considering asking for their feedback at various stages of the creative or design process (for example, receiving a rough cut of a new marketing video).
Successful small business owners and managers avoid guessing and avoid asking everyone but their target market whether their marketing efforts are on track.
Think of it this way, even if your current customers/clients inform you they aren’t thrilled about your new video, your new logo, or your new marketing strategy, you’ve still won. Receiving negative feedback will save you a considerable amount of time and money that you would have thrown away on a hunch.
Seek after client / customer feedback as if it were gold, because in truth it is.
A business owner that doesn’t having a finger on the pulse of her/his clients is like a ship without a rudder. The harsh truth is, if you’re too busy or can’t afford to gather this information, don’t worry about it, odds are you won’t be in business for long.
Sound Advice For Smart Business Owners:
- Identify who your ideal client is.
- Who you like to work with.
- Who likes working with you.
If you aren’t sure how to analyze this and need direction and advice—hire someone who can guide you. It’s worth the investment. Remember that your goal is to identify who you like working with and tailor your videos, branding, and marketing to attract more of those types of clients/customers.
Other articles you should check out:
Your marketing/advertising, as compared to a boxer in the ring
Grow your small business right now—five pieces of NOT (duh, I already knew that) advice
What the heck are your small business customers thinking? Let’s look…