1. Have a clear vision for your business
It’s sounds obvious, but having a clear vision for your business means every decision you face in your business is easier to make. If part of your vision is to contribute to your community for example, deciding how to respond when the local soccer team approach you for sponsorship should be easy. Or at least easier than it would be without a vision.
Don’t have a clear vision for your business? It’s time to go back to the drawing board.
2. Have a marketing plan
Having a marketing action plan in place is crucial to achieving your goals - in fact, it’s the world’s best marketing tool. I recommend having a plan that covers at least the next six months.
Just because you’ve got a plan doesn’t mean you can’t be flexible. If your local paper calls begging you to write a story about your latest range of services, you’re hardly going to turn them down because it’s not part of your plan. As long as they’re in line with your vision, make the most of unexpected opportunities when they arise – and they will.
3. Actively seek out inspiration
You don’t need to be extraordinarily creative to come up with a good marketing plan, but a little creativity certainly helps. Don’t despair if that’s not your forte, there’s plenty of inspiration out there.
Try kick-starting your creative juices by networking, grabbing an inspiring book or reading relevant magazines, newspapers and blogs. Surround yourself with people who regularly come up with great ideas. Go to places you wouldn’t normally visit and try to experience new things on a regular basis.
4. Keep track
I’m constantly amazed at the number of business-owners that spend considerable amounts of money on marketing without knowing whether it’s working for them. If you’re not doing it already, start measuring your return on investment (ROI) now, ideally at the end of each month.
5. Be patient
Most businesses don’t become successful overnight or by accident. The people behind those businesses have almost always worked their socks off and kept going even when times were tough. Almost every successful business-owner I’ve ever spoken to has considered giving up at some point. But then they persisted.
Your marketing efforts may not give you the exact outcome you’re looking for every time, but your persistence is likely to pay off in the long-term. As Zig Ziglar said "Success is not a destination, it's a journey."
What do you do when your marketing get-up-and-go has got-up-and-gone? Please share your experiences of how you regain your marketing mojo.
“ Try kick-starting your creative juices by networking, grabbing an inspiring book or reading relevant magazines, newspapers and blogs. ”
Yesim Nicholson is a small business Marketing mentor.
