Reassess During the Recession

 

It’s no secret that COVID has caused an economic recession impacting many small businesses and non-profits and their bottom line.  Many have declared that this crisis is worse than the Great Depression and will more than likely have lasting effects on our economy.  But, now is not the time to give up.  Now is the time to reevaluate, reassess and rebuild…stronger.  Below are some ways to achieve success during and after the current state of affairs. 

1. Do Not Immediately Cut the Marketing Budget

The first place many organizations look to cut when purse strings are tight is marketing.  This is the exact reason why NOT to cut the marketing budget…it is not a smart strategy. If all of your competitors are cutting their budgets, and your business is taking the time to fine-tune and continue with marketing efforts, then your business could see an increase in revenue and take over a larger market share.

You want to stay ahead of the fray – stay in the forefront of everyone’s mind.  With more people watching TV, listening to the radio, scrolling through social media feeds, NOW is the time to invest (effectively and efficiently) in digital marketing. When competitors slash their budget, consumers will be less likely to see their marketing efforts and instead will see your company’s presence more frequently. Prospective customers will be able to more easily see the services or products your business offers. Keeping your marketing budget the same, or even slightly increasing the budget, will quiet the buzz of the competition, letting your business shine.

2. Conduct New Market Research

It is common knowledge that having accurate market research is vital for successful marketing campaigns. Market research can give a business a better understanding of its customers and better knowledge about how to approach its target market. Time have changed.  Circumstances have changed.  Shopping patterns have changed.

The way you do business or request donations must change with the trends.  And, you won’t know the current trends if you don’t conduct new market research.  During financial hardships, a person’s available income and discretionary income changes. While it is a convenient idea to cut costs and use historical data from previous recessions, it is not a good idea. By doing expansive market research on your target audience, your business will be able to get insights that can be used as a competitive advantage. A business can align itself with its customers’ needs through market research, which allows for the business to thrive during and after a recession.

3. Focus on Retaining Existing Customers

Customer retention is always an important business strategy, but especially now. Local restaurants and bars that pivoted to curbside or delivery at the onset of the pandemic are faring much better than those who didn’t.  Why?  Because their loyal customers pivoted with them.  They started ordering out, sharing the establishment and their specials on social media, etc.  A majority of a business’s profits come from existing customers, and the costs of retaining customers are much lower than the costs of trying to attract new customers. New customers aren't as likely to give unfamiliar products or services a try during a recession, which is why the primary focus should be on existing customers and keeping them satisfied.

And, shifting the focus to existing customers will cut down on spending without slashing the marketing budget. Keeping customers satisfied will only benefit the business in the long run, because these customers are more likely to leave positive reviews and recommend your business to their friends, which gives your business free word-of-mouth marketing.

4. Analyze Past and Current Performance Metrics

If you are finding you have a little more time on your hands, then this is the time to measure metrics!     Performance metrics can help determine if you’re meeting your goals (which should be re-evaluated) or if you’re on the right track to reach your goals. These metrics can help improve strategy and can be early indicators if things are not going as they should be. During a recession, tracking metrics is even more important as one mistake could lead to the business’s downfall.

What you’ve done in the past may not be right for today. Tracking current performance will allow you to see how your marketing campaigns are doing in this unusual landscape and time. The combination of past and current data will allow businesses to invest their time in areas that have proven to work in the past and see if what was working is still working today.

5. Remain Consistent

Now is not the time to rebrand yourself or your business. Now is the time to revamp your services if needed, but not your brand. Remain consistent in your name, branding, marketing and customer interactions. Your business should not go from sending bi-weekly emails to bi-monthly emails, nor should it go from weekly blog posts to monthly blog posts. These efforts of staying consistent will also keep costs down, which, in a recession, is vital. 

COVID has created quite a stir in all aspects of our lives.  Yes, businesses have taken hits because of the pandemic, but the recession is not forever. The reevaluation of a marketing strategy can help businesses survive this uncertain time.

Listen to your customers.  Listen to your competitors.  Remain flexible.  Remain vigilant.  While it might not seem like it right now, the storm will pass.  The question is, are you ready, willing and able to weather it?

Include Empathy in Your Marketing

 Being an empath, it’s hard to understand how others operate.  And those who are not empaths probably don’t understand how I operate. 

Empathy is the capacity to understand or feel what another person is experiencing from within their frame of reference, that is, the capacity to place oneself in another's position.   This is difficult for some individuals to wrap their minds around…and even more so for businesses and corporations to incorporate into their marketing strategy.  In today’s world, it is essential to not just appear empathetic but to showcase your company’s empathy toward everyone – your customers, in particular.

Your business should employ empathy marketing at all times – not just today.   During a global pandemic, the last thing any company or brand should be doing is thinking about themselves and their profit margins without concerning themselves with the wellbeing of the public.

Yes, it is important for businesses to continue to succeed, to be able to retain and pay their employees, to keep their workers safe, and to move forward during this crisis. But an unexpected result of this global pandemic is that it is challenging businesses to innovate and evolve.

Event companies are creating virtual events, doctors are chatting with patients online, restaurants are sharing their recipes so people can make their favorite dishes at home, Zoos are sharing a behind the scenes look at the animals, museums are creating online learning programs to keep kids engaged, and people are attending drive-in raves.

Empathy marketing shows consumers that businesses not only care about their customers but they also understand and can relate to them.

So how do you market your brand with empathy?

Stop the Presses: Scheduled Marketing Campaigns
The first step for many large brands who have scheduled their advertising campaigns for the next quarter, or more, is to pause those advertising campaigns - if you can. Each time a consumer sees an ad for something being sold as if it is pre-pandemic will rub consumers the wrong way.

Be Creative: Plan a New Marketing Campaign
Decide if you are going to repurpose your existing marketing campaigns or create entirely new ones. To truly create an empathy marketing campaign, starting from scratch is likely the best option. You don’t want consumers to recognize cuts from previous ad campaigns and infer that the brand just changed some words around.

Don’t Be a Dick: Don’t Take Advantage of People During This Crisis
It might sound like common sense – at least to an empath - but it has to be said because it can be a real problem. Having a COVID-19 sale, or showing off how your company is still succeeding during the crisis is disrespectful and will turn people off to your brand.  Pushing something like a vacation getaway or something that is not essential will turn those off who were laid off or are struggling to make ends meet.

Delete That Old B-Roll: Visuals and Positioning
Try to keep any visuals or messaging in line with what experts (experts like your doctor, the CDC, local hospitals, etc) are recommending. Showing old footage of people shopping in your store without a mask or gathering in groups without social distancing – demonstrates that your company is out of touch with the times. Reinforce what the experts are saying like staying at home, wearing a mask, and washing your hands.  And highlight how your business is adapting to these new norms.

Be Inspiring: Give People Hope and Show How Your Brand Can Help
Hope is a powerful thing, especially when people feel like all hope is lost. Instead of being an alarmist or focusing on the negative, focus on the positive, and tap-in to your brand’s human side. People will feel more connected to your company and your brand if they feel like you actually understand and want to help them.

Start by giving people the tools they need to survive this pandemic. Try to find ways to bring your product or service to consumers in the most convenient and safe manner possible. And how can you save families money?  How can you provide a fantastic experience for minimal cost? How you do this will leave a lasting impact on customers well after the pandemic is over.

Empathy Marketing Isn’t Just for Pandemic Times

The only thing constant is change, right?  Businesses need to take note – everyone needs to be willing and able to adapt to the times.  Perhaps the most important marketing lesson COVID-19 has reminded us of…is that customers should always come first.  With so much loss in the world right now – time with friends and extended families, jobs, life – how your business approaches its messaging, outreach and all-around marketing strategies should address reality while offering hope in the form of a solution. If your company is not ready to embrace empathy marketing in times like these, don’t expect customers to embrace your company when the pandemic becomes a part of history to which we hope will never be repeated. 

Finding the New Normal in Marketing

We are all feeling it– the devastating impact of our current state of affairs.  First, the COVID-19 pandemic – which is still in full swing, then the riots following George Floyd’s murder – causing many cities to shut down marketplaces and businesses to be looted and burned to the ground.  We are seeing an economic and social down-spiral that leaves many of us to wonder – what do we do next?

\As far as the economical impact, it is safe to say the business landscape has drastically changed.  But, businesses can still sustain themselves and recover from today’s economic crises by changing up their marketing strategies to reflect new consumer habits.

Along with impacting human life, today’s crises are negatively influencing the global business and economy. It’s a challenge to market during a crisis and at the same time plan for the future. Industries are not able to operate effectively in this challenging situation. This has made marketing more critical and complex than ever for many businesses.

We have already seen a behavioral shift - people spending more time at home and on the internet. Since people are still semi-quarantined, there are more eyeballs browsing online than before and people are consuming more digital content on all fronts.

In general, keep up the following and your business can continue to thrive.

Be smart

Work smart and be ready to tackle the challenges ahead and retain existing customers. This is a unique time, when a small allure can result in huge gains for business. This is not the time to panic. Many big companies are using smart marketing and advertising campaigns to promote positivity and communicate important messages.  Small businesses should too.

Be social

It is essential to keep in touch with customers. It's cheaper to retain an existing customer than acquire a new one.  Everyone is glued to social media right now! With increased reach, engagement and time spent on social platforms, businesses should NOT pause their social media efforts. Social media helps put you in front of where your target audience is already browsing.  While doing this, connect with your customers with compassion and empathy. Start an awareness campaign that may inspire, ignite people to cope with the current situation.  And please refrain from the “We’re in this together” statement.  It is overused and actually false. (Are you in the same boat as Fortune 500 CEOs?)

Be visible

It’s the “out of sight, out of mind” mentality.  If you stop marketing, you’ll be forgotten.  While consumers are scouring digital platforms, this is a great opportunity for your business to improve its online visibility, which means driving visitors to the website to capture future sales. If you haven’t updated your website to meet today’s marketplace, that should be your first investment.  Consumers will bounce right off your homepage if they do not like what they see or read.  One of the best times to get found by potential clients is ensuring that they can find what they want at every point of the purchasing lifecycle.

In a recession period, some choose to make the unfortunate decision to cut or eliminate their SEO budgets. Their rankings will hold for a few weeks and then start to slip as Google's algorithms begin to recognize that there's nothing new or interesting happening on their site. Every time a site drops in rankings, another one moves up. DON’T cut your SEO and SEM budget because it will eventually help to reach customers in a more cost-efficient and quicker way.

Be strategic

There is no one-size-fits-all method in the digital marketing domain. Consumer sentiments and behavior has changed and will continue to change. Be strategic when planning both for the short and long terms. Your plan should be implementation-ready no matter how much notice you have to put it into place.

Be measurable

Measuring means tracking marketing spend. Brands need to be measured against success criteria: sales, numbers of hits, queries, numbers of leads, or referrals etc.  Utilize Google Analytics, social media ROI and any other analytical tools you already have in place to get a comprehensive picture of your status. 'If you don't measure, then you can't manage'. And if you're not managing, then you could be pouring money down the drain.

Be creative

'Necessity is the mother of invention'. Measure success and learn from the experiment. If marketing budgets are tight, then knowing what works makes it easier to make the decision of where to invest. Whatever experiment we do; it should be quick, cheap, and easy to deliver.

Be truthful

The real opportunity is for businesses to really focus on developing transparent messaging across the board.  If you want to stay in the minds of your customers, you need to be proactive and aware no matter the crisis we/you are facing.  For now, that means keeping messages fresh and reminding clients that your business is still in the game. Make sure you are delivering the right message to the right person at the right time in an honest manner.

Be smart

When the economy seems to be crashing, some businesses seem to go into hibernation mode. But, you should take this time to re-think, re-adjust, re-define and upgrade marketing efforts. Now is the time  to enhance digital communication and deliver great experiences at each point of the customer journey.

As the “new normal” continues to define itself, so should your marketing tactics.  We are all becoming more and more accustomed to adapting, your marketing should be adaptable too.  Not sure how to readjust your marketing priorities during this exceptionally unique time? SK Consulting can help!

How You Act During the Pandemic Impacts How Customers React After the Pandemic

As we have all heard in every commercial, campaign, business impact statement - COVID-19 has and will continue to dramatically change consumer and business behaviors. Many of these behaviors will remain long after the diminishment and defeat of the virus.  In other words…there is no ‘going back to normal’…there is just creating the new normal.

New behaviors become more permanent the longer they are in place. Because of this, organizations must consider how the current crisis will change long-term social interactions, events, personal contacts and what products and services will better serve customers in the post COVID-19 world.

If you’re not ready for post-COVID-19 consumer behavior, you’re not ready to ‘re-open’.

Many people will certainly have higher sensitivity to germs and the risks of spreading infections. This behavior alone will change many industries.

Customers and workers will be more skeptical of close contact with others. Consumer travel, dining, entertainment and product preferences will be different. How consumers shop will also be altered and businesses need to be prepared.

The number of behavior changes will grow depending on how many people are directly affected, how severely and for how long. Many new behaviors will be normalized as customers practice them repeatedly over months.

How will behaviors shift in your industry? Customer behavior changes will require new or modified products and services. New market leaders will emerge while some past leaders falter. Many companies will struggle post COVID-19 because they haven’t adequately adapted.

Take a proactive approach to survive and thrive past COVID-19

Knowing your marketplace/customers/consumer needs is always the best way to meet market demands and win—but what you knew before may not benefit you in an altered tomorrow.

Smart companies will adopt a proactive approach to understand what changes will occur and be ready to adjust their products, services and strategies quickly to meet current and future customer needs.

What you can do now:

1) Debrief

Convene key members of your team and debrief them on what they have been hearing from customers. Have a work session to identify what might be changing and how you could and should adapt.

2) Gather insight

Develop a plan to “take the temperature” of the marketplace. How can we validate new behaviors we are seeing and hearing, and gather the information we don’t know? Don’t assume anything. Your customers can tell you what they will need, but you must ask them.

Conduct customer interviews, surveys, market research or customer feedback by other means. Gather the comments, attitudes and data, then analyze. Be open to things you may have never thought would occur, and to how it can impact YOU!

When interacting with customers during this time, train your staff to open conversations with, “How can we help you get through this?” not, “Here’s what we’ve got.” In other words, lead with empathy not competence. Try to be part of the solution to their crisis.

3) Re-plan

You have your 2020 plans, but clearly COVID-19 requires forward thinking, new strategies and re-planning on many fronts.

Understanding what your customers will value in the post-COVID-19 business world and acting on it will ensure your survival and success and put you ahead of competitors. This cannot be over-emphasized. Knowing your current and future customers will sort the post-COVID-19 business winners from losers.

Remember that customers buy VALUE, and value comes from meeting their needs, which comes from understanding their needs, in their words and actions. Focus on providing Value, and Revenue and Profit will take care of itself.

Historical post-COVID-19 business impact

History provides validation that major changes will continue to occur. Look back at 9/11 or even the financial crisis of 2009.

The post 9/11 world brought us tighter airport security, the creation of the TSA and Homeland Security, and increased security at everything from sporting events and concerts to large office buildings in major cities. (At least for a while) Behaviors changed, industries were changed and created, and they will be again.

It is no question that COVID-19 will affect millions of people and businesses directly.  It will probably have a further reaching impact on businesses of all types than another other crisis in the past five decades.  Are you ready for it? 

Bottom line

Change creates opportunity. Business leaders who act now, communicate with customers and take a proactive approach to their changing markets will do much better than those who don’t.  Those who sit back and don’t adapt, will be sitting back while their competitors forge ahead.

Change, Don’t Stop, Your Marketing During a Pandemic

We all feel it.  The Coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) has negatively impacted business across the country and around the world. Companies of all sizes are being forced to make tough decisions on how to keep their business afloat.

Some think the first step is to cut out marketing departments, but consumers are too invested digitally to stop ALL marketing. You can cut your marketing budget or outsource marketing if you really want to save money, but do not stop interacting with your customers. Now is the time you want your customers to see you - and see you in a gentle and caring way. Focus on your message and what you want your customers to think about you - this is your BRAND.

Use the COVID19 Downtime to Focus on Your Company's Brand

Whether using Google, Facebook or another online platform, you can reach out to current and potential customers with customized branding methods. What is your business doing to help the community? How do you want your customers to think of you during this crisis? What are you doing to make life easier for your customers? What solutions are you providing?

By replacing your branding and messaging from sales-driven to those of general concern and care, you can impact the thoughts consumers have about your company. An effective branding campaign draws attention, stirs curiosity, and although not immediately, when customers are ready, they later convert.

Prevent Losses with Smart Marketing

During this time of widespread quarantine recommendations, it’s important to keep your budget trim and reduce any unnecessary overhead expenses. The goal is to get your business through the event and prevent any long-term damage to your brand or your customer base.  That means making strategic marketing decisions. While you may be desperate to save money anywhere you can, it’s important to maintain a coronavirus digital marketing plan to stay relevant.

Review current ad campaigns and suspend any that no longer make sense, or make adjustments to your advertising strategy. One business might increase targeted ad spending on social media platforms to highlight a new delivery service or video chat option. Maybe your business was able to go virtual or online.  You have to market the shift or nobody will know about it. Now is a good time to get back to basics with your SEO digital marketing. 

You can boost your site’s organic reach by updating webpage titles, H1 descriptive headers, and meta tags. Refreshing your page content with new information and updated backlinks will help keep your brand at the top of search engine results when your customers naturally come searching for your products or services. Building your organic search traffic can have huge benefits to your business. While your competitors may be drawing back, it’s a great opportunity to go after their market share. 

Spend some time researching your competition. It’s not just good advice for businesses during a coronavirus outbreak - it’s good advice year-round. Find out what your competitors are lacking, and what they’re offering that customers are searching for. If you can identify their market audience, you can take advantage of that information and use it for competitive ad retargeting.

Pivot to New Markets and Services

Some businesses will thrive during a pandemic. Food delivery apps, meal kit companies, and e-commerce sites (and toilet paper companies) will have the most to offer during a pandemic. After all, today’s instant gratification consumption culture means people are accustomed to getting what they want…fast. In normal circumstances, everything from groceries to personal care items, medications, and meals can be at your front door in under an hour. Companies that are able to capitalize on the high demand for online shopping and deliver convenient service will see exponential growth, especially during a viral outbreak when people are stuck inside. 

If you are experiencing the economic impacts of COVID-19 on your business, it could be a great time to pivot. Stay in touch with your clients and let them know about any changes or precautions you’re taking. Remind them that any temporary setbacks will end and business will eventually resume as usual. If you’re able to jump into rapid delivery or online shopping options, use this as an opportunity to capitalize on the increased need for e-commerce and porch-side service. Let your audience know you’re being proactive and working hard to provide the products and services they rely on, all while protecting the health of employees and customers alike. 

Spend some time brainstorming how your company can create new content for new platforms you haven’t reached yet. Informative or entertaining video clips, articles or blogs, and photos for social media stories can all help boost your organic reach and even monetize your digital marketing efforts. By creating engaging content, you’ll stay fresh in the minds of an audience actively seeking out new media. 

Obviously, people are spending more time at home, which means fewer customers walking a brick-and-mortar store. Leverage e-commerce technology to meet the demand for digital sales, and get strategic with your advertising budget to minimize the economic impacts on your business. Utilize SEO techniques that keep your brand in customer feeds and build organic reach with fresh content. Your clients will be looking for shopping and entertainment outlets online, so think creatively about providing new media like blogs or videos, and offer new services whenever possible to meet the needs of those stuck in quarantine. The businesses that cut back on digital marketing during this time will suffer the most from the coronavirus outbreak, and maybe even go under.

We understand that we are in unprecedented, scary times.  But now is not the time to give up.  Now is not the time to stop marketing.  Now is the time to get creative, to assess your brand and stay in the forefront of consumers’ minds.  Break through newsfeeds inundated with Coronavirus updates with messaging your customers want to hear.

We’re here for you during this pandemic.  Together we can weather the storm.

Which Comes First – The Branding or The Marketing?

Too many times, individuals use the terms branding and marketing interchangeably (and marketing and advertising – but that’s a topic for another time).  Yes, sometimes it’s difficult to tell the difference between branding and marketing but the more they are used as substitutes for one another, the more confusion there is.  Both are vital to the success of your business, but for different reasons.

Difference between Branding and Marketing

Branding is why. Marketing is how.

Branding is long-term. Marketing is short-term.

Branding is big-picture. Marketing is strategic, focused and single-minded.

Branding is strategic. Marketing is tactical.

Branding begins inside your organization. Marketing begins with the consumer.

The most successful companies – regardless of size – focus on both branding and marketing. The combination is powerful. The order in which branding and marketing is approached matters.

Branding comes first. Marketing comes second.

It’s tempting to jump right into marketing. After all, your ultimate goal is sales, and marketing is the strategy used to optimize for sales. But if your strategy is based only on the quality of your product and service, you are at a serious disadvantage. Competitors can offer the same or perhaps a superior product and service.

What is your differentiator?  What is your why?  Who are you and why should consumers care?

Building awareness is important. Consumers need to understand how your product or service solves their problems. You need to figure out how to connect with your consumer, and the sooner you can figure that out, the sooner the cash flows. But at some point, the consumer will look past the hype to see if the brand truly matters to them.

Marketing is your message. Your brand is who you are.

Your brand lives in the hearts and minds of your customers and your prospects. It’s what they think when they hear or see your name. Your brand is based on a wide range of experiences and perceptions, some of which you can control and some of which you can’t.

The ways consumers interact with and assess products and services has changed dramatically over time. Consumers are increasingly tuning out marketing and advertising and are digging deeper to better understand the brand behind the product or service.

If you invest time and effort into understanding your brand, the ways it connects with consumers on an emotional level and how to effectively communicate it across the customer experience, you are much more likely to see a return on your marketing strategies. The more emotion consumers have invested in your brand, the more likely they are to buy from you.

Brands that engage with consumers, showing their personality and sharing their values, surpass their competitors. These brands hear their customers, and ultimately the customers hear the important message – our brand matters because….

Marketing helps find and motivate buyers. Branding creates loyal customers and advocates.

Your brand is your promise to consumers. It’s about the experience they can expect when they interact with your brand. Your brand allows consumers to anticipate future behavior because it is built on consistent behavior. In fact, the more consistent the behavior has been in the past, the more quickly the brand can convince consumers they “understand” what your brand is all about.

Remember, marketing is what you do to attract people to your brand with your message or brand promise.  Your brand is how you keep that promise with the brand experience.

Need help determining your brand and developing a strategic marketing plan?  Contact SK Consulting today.  From concept to creation to implementation – we’re there with you every step of the way.

How’s Your Branding and Marketing Working For You?

We’re more than a month into 2020, which is a good time to take a look at your marketing and branding efforts. Is it still relevant or does it need revising? Are you spending what you should or are you spending too much/too little?  Is your messaging clear and consistent?  Are you utilizing the right marketing channels to effectively reach your target audiences?

You could spend thousands of your marketing dollars on advertising placements, media outreach, and marketing efforts, but if you’re not delivering effective messages in effective ways, that money, time, and energy is all for nothing. Is your branding and messaging resonating, effective, and helping your organization meet key objectives? Is it reaching your primary audiences? Does your brand convey your company’s mission?

So many questions!  But, to ensure your company stays innovative and agile as it grows and thrives, take time to review messaging and consider revising or rebranding based on what you discover.

Check for consistency: Are your language and visuals consistent across multiple platforms of message delivery? All of your messaging should sound like one, consistent voice that speaks to the same key points. If language is inconsistent or unclear, your messages can be confusing to your audiences, thus far less likely to be understood and retained.

Take an internal audit: How do your employees view your messaging? Is there employee buy-in? Do they feel comfortable and able to communicate your company’s story, mission, and messages with clarity? What are they hearing from customers, partners and other key audiences? Do they think it’s clear and concise or are they hearing otherwise? This is a great opportunity to involve your team, collect feedback, see if anything pertinent has changed, and make revisions where necessary.

Survey target customers: Go right to the source! Create a brief survey to ask customers how your messaging appeals to them. This is a great opportunity for an additional touchpoint with your customers. Ask open-ended questions to gauge what customers’ takeaways are and invite suggestions.

Analyze social media metrics and feedback: Which campaigns or messages have generated the most engagement? A look through social media analytics can help identify a direct correlation between types of news or posts that initiate a higher volume of responses. Determine what language, topics, and other information is resonating well and what needs to be changed or eliminated based on the popularity of particular types of posts. Pay attention to what types of images impact engagement, as well.

Review web analytics: It is a good idea to have some type of website analytics set up (e.g., Google Analytics) to track and monitor web traffic, bounce rates, visitors, etc. This information is valuable to understanding how certain pages affect certain behaviors. You can also look at the overall picture – what promotions are you doing to drive people to the most viewed pages, etc.

Conduct a competitive analysis: No need for an extensive 25-page report, but it is important to review the competitive landscape and assess where your company stands in the marketplace. Do you know who your top competitors are? What language and visuals are they using? Are they getting significant attention or media coverage? Do you clearly convey what sets your company apart from the competition?

Your company’s branding and messaging should stand out from competitors, resonate with key audiences, inspire new business, and create repeat customer transactions. Your brand should you’re your target audiences feel something.  It should tell a compelling story that inspires them to take action. Perform a truthful assessment and revise and implement accordingly.  After all, if you continue to do what you’ve always done, you’ll continue to get what you’ve always got.  

If your branding and messaging aren’t producing results now is the time to make a change!