It all feels a bit like things are going down the toilet personally and business wise and it is all a bit cr#p! I am not here to make light of things, but maybe to inject a bit of humour, but here to also help and support you where I can. Us small business owners are up against it somewhat from all angles but I want us all to come away from this situation feeling flush with motivation and anticipation and smelling of roses rather than stinky toilets!
Reacting to the situation we are in
Amongst my research for my own social media content and to find tips for my clients and content, I came across this piece in Marketing Week entitled “The best marketers will be upping, not cutting, their budgets” It said “It may seem like a paradox, but recessionary periods actually provide fertile grounds for marketers to grow their brand’s market share if they’re prepared to think long-term.” Read more here
Research showed that around 90% of marketing budgets have been delayed or are under review however. This isn’t surprising to me as many businesses, rightly and wrongly, will have had to have made quick and kneejerk decisions rather than waiting and see what happens. Having said that, we don’t know how long we will need to wait so that’s another tricky point. The article finished by saying, which I liked, “If you can keep your head and your marketing budget, while those around you are losing theirs, you will be a marketer my friend. And a successful one at that!”
Does this ring true with you in terms of cutting back on your plans or putting things on hold? It is not easy to carry on in adverse times and to remain upbeat, but it is possible with the right guidance and support. Use your network for this advice and for ideas. But remember, do what you can and kind to yourself in this tough time.
To plan or not to plan?
Another piece I found by Talk Business stated that 1 in 4 UK SMEs don’t use a business plan. It said “shocking statistics have been revealed that suggest a whopping 1 in 4 SMEs in the UK don’t bother to use a business plan, leaving them in danger of losing direction and having no plan to get their business to the next stage of growth. Developing a business plan is a vital tool for any business, yet new research from Barclays reveals that one in four small businesses (23%) don’t have any strategy in place to support their business growth.” Read more here
Do you have some kind of plan? Is it detailed or split into monthly or content only? The most difficult part of marketing clients and prospects tell me is they don’t know what marketing to do, or in what order or when by! A plan or a list or whatever you want to call it will do this and set everything out for you. A plan will ensure your marketing stays on a roll. (pardon the pun!)
In Pinpoint Marketing’s opinion, growth is all down to planning. We believe that you as the business owner needs to know your strategy before you can start to write your marketing plan. Marketing shouldn’t be seen as a tick box exercise. Therefore, it is important to know your business why and to know the purpose of your marketing. Within business there is luck and an element of chance as well as you being in the right place at the right time. Pinpoint feels the majority of your successes will be down to careful planning. Giving a business like yours time and attention via includes using the right marketing tactics. In summary, the benefits of a plan will help you get organised, be logical and build foundations. A plan will eventually save time and money. If goals or objectives for a company’s marketing activities haven’t been set or considered, then how can the business owner decide if they achieve what they set out to do?
Find out about planning, the benefits of planning and how to plan, click here
What about you?
What are you and your business doing? Have you made a new plan, reworded your existing plan or kept to having no plan? Here at Pinpoint Marketing we are very much trying to practise what we preach and we are being our authentic selves by carrying on as best we can and by continuing to set goals. These goals have been taken from our existing plan which we are continuing to implement where possible. Where things have changed, we are changing the timeframes and moving things around. We are trying to also be mindful of where others are in all of this too.
We are also trying to help (ourselves) and our clients navigate their way through the u bend of this cr#p time by reviewing things with them helping them adapt and adapting the way we can help them or bring in others to support to.
