When was the last time you really scrutinised your website and marketing materials? Are they still relevant and do they still represent what it is your company offers? How do they stand up against the competition?
Its surprising how many businesses we go out to see and when we tell them we’ve reviewed their website prior to the initial meeting, they say dismissively, “oh, that’s a bit out of date”!
Actually it should be the one thing that is totally up to date given how easy it is to change content these days!
It isn’t just the website though. Are the products and services you offered five years ago, a year ago or even six months ago still your most profitable ones? Do you need to adapt them in line with market changes or increased competition.
Unfortunately it will only be you who remembers that in 2008 (when you were market leaders) that you had the fastest selling/most innovative product available. Riding on past glory isn’t an option in today’s dog-eat-dog environment.
It doesn’t take much to stay abreast of developments in your marketplace. Allocate time each week or month to look at your competitors activity, industry websites and trade journals. Ask your sales team and customers if they have heard of anything interesting recently and keep yourselves out there with a good communications mix. Also contact lost customers and ask why they chose to use someone else.
For example, a day a month spent on your marketing could achieve some of the following:
- Writing and scheduling four blog articles
- Planning of monthly e/shots
- Writing a press release
- A target list of prospects
- 50 prospecting calls
- Networking
- Development and distribution of a customer/prospect survey
Sometimes the job seems so large that its hard to know where to start. If you would like some help in planning the most effective use of your time or internal resources for your own marketing activity please email me.
