Category: Business strategy

Move with the times

Julie Kenyon

In this ever changing world, it pays to review our messaging, and positioning, to ensure we remain relevant and are indeed meeting the needs of our clients and customers. Even traditional industries and sectors are being challenged to change, to go greener, to be more efficient, more high tech, more tailored to their target markets, and to communicate differently, using a vast choice of channels.

I’ve been working on a number of projects recently that have required focus on exactly where the business is, and what in essence it has to offer. For both start up businesses and those that are well established, we started with a strategy session to examine what it is that the market needs right now, and how my clients are able to meet those needs. This is not just about attracting customers, but taking a step back to think about what the environment, stakeholders and even the world needs and how my clients can answer those demands.

It’s not simply about setting out your stall and hoping people will buy – it’s about showing a thorough understanding of what your customers are experiencing, and how you can help them transition in an ever changing world.

For startup businesses, our strategy sessions involved focusing on how to turn experience and expertise into something people would want to buy. How could we commercialise a set of skills? How could we put this into context, so that potential customers would understand the benefits, and what exactly it was that they could buy? This takes time, discussion and some creative thinking away from the office, to let the ideas flow and a vision for the business to form. It’s a huge step starting out on your own, but it’s fun, exciting and rewarding too.

For established businesses, our strategy sessions focused more on existing websites and marketing collateral, to establish what needed to change, why, and how we could make the most of this opportunity to update the messaging, and ask our customers, and potential customers to look again, learn more and understand the true value of the product and/or service.

Set yourself a simple task

Take a look at your website and other marketing materials – when were they last updated? Are they still relevant? Even your privacy policy and GDPR statement should be updated from time to time, along with security updates on your website to ensure it is protected and running smoothly on both desktop and mobile.

Check for terminology – if Roald Dahl books are being updated, perhaps it’s time to review your own language, tone and intent – be sure you’re pitching correctly to your audience.

Check product descriptions – have you improved or changed products or services, what are their latest USPs, are they better for the environment, cheaper or do they do more than they used to?

Check your team information – remove old staff members, update with new

Check the About Us page and contact details on your website – what additional experience and credentials have you gained in the last year or more? Have you moved or opened a new office?

For an independent audit on all of your marketing collateral, or to get started in your new business please contact me, I’d be happy to help.

Business Owner: Growth Ambitions: Work-Life Balance – it’s a threesome that can work!

Julie Kenyon

If you’re a business owner, you’ll know all about hard work, putting in the hours, and wearing several ‘hats’ at once. You’ll also know that along with the hard work comes rewards and a sense of achievement.

But what if your work-life balance is out of line, and work is consuming too much of your time and headspace? It may also be that you are working some of the time on tasks that are just not your forte.

If you feel you have no choice because recruiting an extra person just isn’t for you – it costs money to employ people after all, and you have to commit to that expenditure every month, along with all of the responsibilities that come with being an employer. Rather than soldier on doing far more than perhaps you’d originally intended, there is another option.

Freelance support at a senior level

It’s possible to enlist the services of a senior business person to work alongside you to help you achieve your ambitions – both for your business, and for your personal life too – freeing up time to allow you to be more than a business owner running a business full time.

Such a person may be hard to find – do you research business consultant? (Sounds expensive). What about a Business Advisor – what does an advisor do other than tell you what to do? Finding someone that can join your business and hit the ground running, someone that doesn’t need managing, but can be trusted to get on with their role, what would you call that person?

A doer perhaps? They are hard to find if you do a search on LinkedIn! Here at Insider Marketing, it’s what we do.

I am passionate about working with clients to help their business achieve its true potential without sacrificing life outside of work. If you need that support, and want to have a chat, please do get in touch.

Take a look at some of our case studies for a flavour of the work we do, and if you’d like to talk to one of my clients to find out more about their experience, just let me know.

I look forward to hearing from you.