3 Core Steps to Growth In The New Year
’Tis the season to start thinking about the next one! As the year winds down and a new one approaches we can’t help but to consider our accomplishments and shortcomings this year as we look to the growth and progress we’d like to achieve for the next season in our lives. For you, like me, that probably means examining your brand. As you know, a great brand involves more than a great name and a beautiful logo or website, it requires an action plan. Just as a book has a table of contents and a recipe has a list of ingredients, a brand must have a comprehensive action plan that outlines step-by-step instructions on what to do to achieve the next level of growth.
If you haven’t developed an action plan before, or haven’t reviewed or revised it in a while, now is the time. Begin by choosing 3 key focus areas. These goals should be attainable, but challenging. You’ll want to also make sure that you outline goals that are within reach. An example of an achievable goal is “to be quoted in print by the media” vs. ” to be a host on the Oprah Winfrey Network.” Now, that’s not to say that being a host on the Oprah Winfrey network is unattainable for you, but certain visibility factors and goals will usually have already been achieved by you already in order to achieve that goal. Learn the 3 focus areas every brand should develop:
1) The Stories. Look at your story and your mission statement to see if they still clearly identify your character and values in your business today. These are key drivers for your business and can be used to persuade your ideal future client to invest in your expertise quickly. To develop the right storyline you must include a credibility factor and a passion factor. Identify the things that you’ve done that place you in the “only”, “first”, or “top” category in your business and use it to distinguish yourself. Combine that with a passion factor, using “since”, “from the moment”, or “when” and you can then compete with even the most established brands.
2) The Signals. Hanging out your shingle announcing your business is not enough to keep you profitable or visible, but it is necessary. Your name, logo, website, photo, business card, brochures, and other “visuals” will help to reinforce your mission statement and connect you with your target audience. Examine any major brand, and you’ll discover that their claim, logo and identity in the marketplace are multifaceted. For instance, consider Nike, they are recognized as a main support for athletes of all levels who “Just Do It.” Their swoosh is stamped in our memories, and their clean and open store spaces support the concept of the open road and freedom of living the lifestyle. Their distinctive ads of the every day athlete in all of us builds the emotional connection for all types of lifestyles.
3) The Systems. This is where a lot of businesses sabotage themselves. When a business is doing well, the marketing and planning of it often take a back burner but steady income is best supported by steady processes. There are more than a dozen ways to fill your pipeline so it’s important to analyze the impact that each type of effort is having on your business so that you know where to devote your time and dollars. Start by identifying what you want to do each month, then choose a date for each activity. Next, choose the investment involved to achieve it and finally determine how to track and measure it.
If your Stories, signals and systems are clear and consistent you’ll have no problem boosting your brand exposure and reaching the next level of growth with ease and grace. If you’re not quite sure what that looks like for you, we can help. Invest in the Bankable Branding Toolkit and get one-on-one Brand Strategy sessions with me each week so that you’re on the right path for the new year.
