2012 Resolutions? Planning for uncertainty
Recently at Silverleaf we’ve been looking at how 2012 is likely to work out for the wider economy and how our business strategy should adapt. Unfortunately, the only thing we can be sure of is the uncertainty! Clients seem to be increasingly varied in their marketing/planning cycles and driven by events rather than the other way around.
So how should a business approach this environment? Below I have highlighted 4 areas we will be focussing on this year:
- Maximise your investment. Smart use of the right media – whether traditional or cutting edge – can reduce costs and often achieve close to what you would expect for your ‘regular’ approach. For example, traditional advertising might be partly replaced by a social media or google adwords campaign, but linked together, to reap the benefits of both.
- Quality counts. It is tempting to cut corners in all areas, but make sure your communications – both in presentation and content – are up to scratch. Your reputation and your brand’s reputation are valuable, and need to be maintained, or if possible, enhanced by what you do and how you do it. It will be what people remember when the economy picks up.
- Think creatively & proactively. In times like these many of your competitors will be battening down the hatches and resorting to tried and tested approaches. The competitive landscape is changing more rapidly than ever before, so this is an ideal opportunity to get a competitive advantage by doing things differently. For example, why not invite your 20 best clients to meet the 20 best clients of another, complementary business at a special event you can share the costs of.
- Focus on strategy and details. Generally speaking, if you have the ‘big picture’ that will focus and inspire your business and inform your approach, and you execute the small details that clients appreciate really well (good communication, professional delivery, timeliness, consistency etc), the ‘middle ground’ will largely take care of itself.
Anyway, these are our priorities for 2012, I hope they have helped your planning for this year – what are yours? Please contact me at james.b@silverleaf.co – I would love to hear.