Avanti: Planning is key for business growth

“If your business isn’t growing, its dying…. sounds harsh but it is true” , the wise words of Avanti Networking member Business Coach, Suzanne MacDonald- Carr.

As a business coach, we always start with the end in mind, and work backwards in small bit sized steps and get real clarity of what needs to change in the next 12 weeks, set those goals and then  deliver them.

“Where you will be in five years’ time is down to the books you read, the people you associate with in business, and the Action you take !”[Bradley J Sugars, Chairman, ActionCOACH International]    

If your thoughts are excellent, and  your actions are excellent, so your results will be excellent!  So start with your Be x Do = Have.

Business is not static and any successful business owner will tell you that they have had to make changes to their approach or their business model to evolve within their chosen industry.

Consider Darwin’s theory of evolution – Survival of the fittest. This applies to business too, you need to be prepared to change to meet the needs of your target market, and to ensure the growth of your business.

It’s easy to stick to tried and tested methods, but if you’re not seeing real growth in your figures, is your business as usual approach really working?

It can be daunting setting yourself goals for growth and demoralising if they are not achieved. Instead of focusing on where you want to be in a year, break it down into manageable financial or converted prospect targets.

Taking this approach, you are able to see what is really working for your business, and react quickly to something that might not be having the desired impact.

Your business plan should be at the core of all other strategies that follow, it can be revised as and when according to the growth or decline of your business, and here we look at what your business and marketing plans should contain to help you move you and your business forward….

Your business plan means that you have clear objectives on the scalability of your business, and a time frame in which to achieve your targets. You will periodically re-assess where your situation stands in comparison to these objectives and how to achieve it.  Part of your business planning should also include your Marketing Plan.

We recommend drawing up an annual marketing plan that incorporates a variety of campaigns on different platforms. During the early stages you may be limited in terms of your budget, so may wish to consider the value in free platforms of advertising.  Remember, free doesn’t always mean good!  So check out the relevance, the target market and the reach of the media you are considering before committing.  Where you are seen, also determines how you are viewed, so if you are a professional industry such as finance or law, you’d want to avoid an art related leaflet.

Top things  to consider when drawing up your marketing plan:

• What are you selling?
• Who are you selling to – your ‘Target’ market?
• How will you get your product or service to that target market?
• Why would they buy from you?
• When will you do this?
• Investment – what resources will be needed for this campaign?
• Desired outcome of each campaign?

Your marketing plan should be checked regularly and you should ‘test and measure’ all campaigns to make sure they are achieving the desired result.  But don’t give up after a few days, remember some marketing such as networking takes time to build relationships and trust and you must therefore give it time to work.  If you find something does not work, consider tweaking it not necessarily giving it up altogether straightaway.

Consider using social media – the reach is invaluable.  For it to be productive you need to ensure that your content gets your brand seen, adds value for your audience, and creates interaction.

• Tie your content in with dates that are important in your industry, this makes it relevant.
• Make it snappy- quick bites of information that people can access on the go.
• Remember when you do post on different platforms you may need to tweak the advert to meet the relevant audience of that platform as those on Twitter may not be the same demographic as those on Instagram
• Make it fun – not always easy depending on your industry, but use different media to get your message across, and make it interesting.

Most importantly, stick to the plan; Once you have your plan in place, make it work for you by committing fully to it.  As you grow, you’ll be able to add to it.

Once you see financial growth, you may want to invest in paid advertising using magazines and online platforms. It may also be of value to you to consider using a copywriter to help with your content or professional photos of your products and branded products for exhibitions.

Avanti Networking can provide you with all the connections from business coaches, networking opportunities, marketing in magazines, photographers and copywriting specialists to help market your business.

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