It is important for business owners to stay current on the latest marketing trends, but that can be difficult if you are wearing many hats. It is especially hard when you realize that marketing is constantly changing and what worked at one time for your company might not be very effective today. Plus, there are always new tools and tactics to learn that could set you apart from the competition.

Here are some helpful suggestions to improve your marketing this year. Share them with your customers too!

1. Solve customer problems. Potential customers have challenges. To get attention, you must make the connection for them to your products. Your ideal client may not even realize that they could benefit or how. Top performing companies focus on the problems they solve and the results they deliver over features and advantages.
2. Improve your digital presence. When was the last time you updated or improved your website? If it has been two years or more, you need to put some time and attention into it. Just as important, it has to be mobile-friendly so people can find you, as mobile has surpassed desktop for product research and shopping.
3. Get more social with your business. You can’t ignore social media. It can become a source of new and recurring business if managed well. First, determine which platform worst best for your business. The best way to do this is to inquire where your best customers are spending their time and dive in. Another idea is to start a business blog and write recommendations for clients. Your advice will eventually reach a much larger audience and that visibility could mean new customers.
4. Remember the physical world. Although most conversations seem to be about digital, it is just as important to reach people in person. One of the best ways to do this is to leverage events, whether that means the trade shows of industries you serve, community sports events, fundraisers or even art fairs. Hand out samples with your contact details.
5. Have a purpose. Ninety-one percent of millennials would switch to other brands to if they supported good causes. And it’s not just millennials, as customers in general are becoming more socially aware. To demonstrate that you give back and/or support causes that matter, you can use green materials, source from companies that are tied to social causes and/or practice ethical manufacturing, or donate a portion of your profits to charity.
6. Grow by delegating more. It is hard to grow when you are handling a multitude of functions. It might seem like you are saving money but be sure you leverage your talent and turn over as many of the other tasks as possible to your team members. They will do the jobs such as accounting and administration better and faster, while you focus bringing in more orders.
7. Invest in specialists. Want to revamp the look of your company logo or create new marketing materials? Instead of doing these things on your own and eventually realizing that you have done a poor job, why not send out the work? Sure, you would have to shell out cash, but it’s an investment that would pay off in the long run.
8. Get the right tools. You can make your employees and yourself more efficient by choosing the right tools. An example is social media management software that can enable you to schedule posts in advance, monitor competitors’ pages and even reply to messages in minutes versus hours per day.
9. Charge what you are worth. Business is competitive but it’s important to charge for all the services you provide, whether that means hours of research, work to adapt graphics and logos, supplying sample products, shipping and more. Not charging is a good way to undermine not only your profits but also the perception of value by your customers.
10. Ask for testimonials. Every time orders are delivered to customers, ask for testimonials. You can create a simple email template that you send as a follow-up to probe for information on various elements of the services, ranging from quality to delivery and creativity to follow-up. Not only can you use this material on your website, social media and in proposals to new customers, you can get a read on improvements you need to make quickly and correct any problems in your business. This will increase the likelihood your customers will be satisfied and stick around.

Resolutions are not just about losing weight, exercising more and learning new skills. They apply to business too. After all, a resolution is a decision to do something differently to create positive change. If you need help, Idea Custom Solutions can serve as your design department, fulfilling customer orders with vector artwork and embroidery digitizing. And we can even be an extension of your sales team with professional order entry services.