It is Labor Day weekend and that means the unofficial end to summer; however, we all know summer doesn’t officially end until September 23, when autumn begins. The approach of autumn inevitably means change is on its way. The leaves on the trees begin to change, the days and nights get cooler (if you don’t live in the desert) and shorter. The grass starts to die. Certain plants are at the end of their life and others hibernate until spring. As a society, humans, go through change too.
The beginning of fall, means the Holiday’s are right around the corner…Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years. Some around the country have to put away their summer clothes and get out winter clothes. Some parts of the county, you have to get your vehicle prepared for the impending winter season. Fall is a sign of a lot of changes coming.
I have had a lot of changes in my life these past few months, long before the onset of fall. They actually started before the unofficial beginning of summer – Memorial Day weekend.
It started in the spring with my daughter’s Prom. Then I put my townhome up for sale, bought a new home and then moving into the new home. Then my daughter’s high school graduation and graduation party. I then took my daughter to the United Kingdom. We met up with my mom and were able to visit distant cousins and see some beautiful country and sites. It was truly a trip I will forever be grateful of. To spend that time with my mom and my daughter before she begins her new chapter was priceless.
Three weeks after our amazing vacation, I moved my daughter into college. It was and still is, harder for Dad than for daughter. She was ready to begin her new chapter in her life. To start living her life out from under the wings of her mom and dad. You prepare yourself for this moment all your life, but it is way harder to let go than I ever imagined. You just have to rest assured you have instilled good values and character in your child and that they take those with them as they forge their new path.
What the hell does all this have to do with marketing? Well, a lot actually. In the world we live in, marketing is constantly changing. It can consume you trying to keep up. Some of the changes are good and will improve your visibility with your clients and targeted audience. Other changes are not necessary, as they really won’t do anything to improve your visibility.
What are some changes you can make? Well, if you are doing your own marketing, perhaps you should look into hiring someone to do it for you. Marketing or Advertising, whatever you want to call it, does not have to be expensive. There are good firms out there that will do what they can to stay within your budget. My business is one of those that tries our best to keep within a clients budget. One of the biggest obstacles though is businesses willing to pay for marketing. It is hard for people to understand that putting together a marketing plan, website, logo, or whatever the need takes time and talent. They do not realize they are paying for time and a product that you can’t feel or touch, but it is a product that will help create an image, brand, and look for their business. That is worth something? Sure there are cheap options out there. I won’t mention them, you know what they are; but, as the saying goes. “You get what you pay for.”
There are many changes you can do:
- When was the last time your website was updated? Is it mobile friendly? If it’s been more than a month, your website is out of date and needs updating. You also need to make sure it looks good on a mobile device too. If you are in the retail industry you need to start preparing for Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas.
- Maybe your website is up-to-date, great! When was the last time you freshen it up? Is it cluttered with a lot of text? Do you have to click more than 3-5 times to get somewhere? Does it tell your story or your why? If it has been several years since your website has been updated or you answered no to any of the questions, you need to update your website.
- Is your brand cohesive? What does that mean? Well, are the colors used in your business the same, or complementary, to the colors in your logo, website, business cards, etc? Is the font type all the same in all those various areas? Does your brand tell your businesses story? If you answered no to any of these then you need to get your businesses branded.
- Do you have any eye-catching displays or advertisements for the products you want to highlight this holiday season? If not, you still have time.
- Are you on social media? How often? I know I am in the minority, but in my opinion, you don’t have to post multiple times a day, every day. Sure you get your name out there and everyone will know you by the end of the week, but you also have annoyed many too. I feel if you post a few times a week, your social media will stick out more because you are not saturating the site with posts. It is my opinion that after a while people just start scrolling past posts they have seen over and over. Whereas someone is more apt to stop and read a post that is new and different.
That is just a few changes, but that’s a lot. As a business owner are you really doing a good job at any of those? If not, then you need someone to help you.
Change is always going to happen. The question is are you prepared for it? Are you willing to hire someone to help you manage it? Or, are you going to continue to try to do it all yourself?
Geoff Cummings is President|Founder of On The Level Marketing & Consulting, LLC. Successfully helping businesses with all their marketing needs by branding their businesses and keeping marketing simple and straightforward.
On The Level Marketing & Consulting | Marketing Built For You!
Creative|Trustworthy|Hassle-Free
All Rights Reserved 2019
