Recommendations for your business in 2017
Getting to the Top is easier than you think.
As a marketer and owner of an advertising agency, we meet with clients on the daily basis. One common characteristic that all our clients and people we meet have is that they really believe in what they think they need. This is partially true because they’ve been running their business for an extensive period of time, or they’ve been advised by other colleagues in the field.
Part of our interview with the prospects and clients is listening to what they think they need to see if it matches with our suggestions, and of course what the target market demands and needs.
These are the 8 recommendations I would execute if I were you:
1.- In terms of business, write a mission statement.
A mission statement of you company will help you focus on what you want and your business in 2017 needs. It is very popular that businesses can produce other services or products they can offer and start diluting their core business and primary product.
2.- Choose your success level.
Seek advice from successful businesses. Success is very relative. Some businesses come to us with over 25 years on the market and 5M in sales, and others with 5 years on the market and 25M in sales. Choose wisely (Don’t be afraid to go big)
3.- Make decisions on established facts, not feelings.
Usually companies that look to target the Hispanic market come to us with the idea of investing their advertising dollars on Univision and other televised platforms because their employees watch this media.
As an advertising agency, we can tell you that audiences do not mean consumers. For example, in 2015 Univision lost 15.5% in ad spending revenue, and Telemundo on the other hand increased 20.8% in ad spending revenue.
4.- Choose your allies.
You know the phrase, “If you want to go fast go alone, but if you want to go far you need a team”? Take into consideration that sometimes it will take money for outsourcing. Considering the budget and, of course, time, some companies prefer to keep these procedures and methods in-house, but if you outsource, it will cost you far less than keeping it in-house plus the cost of having to learn that specific task.
5.- Adopt the right mind.
Force yourself to think big, positive and solution oriented. In all business, there are down times, and every entrepreneur experiences tough times. Shake it off and come back every single time, again and again and again and again….
6.- Learn as much as you can.
Businesses have the ideas, products, or services they feel consumers are looking for, but something about the application, message, and image of this does not match the consumer’s expectations. Always learn from your problems, and even better, look for those problems before they show up right in your face. Data is a great way to learn from other people’s mistakes. Find data to back up your new idea and furthermore, learn how to interpret this information. Business in 2017 will be different, expect changes all the time.
7.- Track as much as possible.
In our marketing campaigns, we track every single lead, costumer, and prospect. We always make sure that our campaigns are serving their purpose and delivering the message they are supposed to. From phone calls to website visitors, make sure to use this information to modify your next campaign and further business actions. You can use google analytics.
8.- Quality.
Sometimes it is better to spend little bit of money and have a professional and properly designed marketing piece or advertising campaign. Some blogs suggest that you do it yourself or promise success without any investment at all. If this is true, the economy would crash and businesses would not exist. Free does not exist. You will spend money spending time doing it yourself. But time has a price and time is something you will need to accomplish more in a short amount of time. Don’t be cheap when it comes to the success of your business in 2017. Spend as much as you can, and as a result, your business will thank you for it and will return every single penny.