As we wind down 2016 and begin celebrating the holidays with our loved ones, it’s always a good time to think about those priorities we have for the upcoming year. Whether that’s eating more healthy, spending more time with family, or starting that new hobby, the year end always give us that nice downtime we all need to regroup and think about good changes for the new year.
This also applies in business. What can you do to drive more traffic to your website? How can you stand out from your competition through stronger brand messaging? Should you start a regular email campaign? As an entrepreneur and the strongest advocate for your company, these may be just some of the questions you are asking yourself as you evaluate your business.
You also may be in a position where it’s time to expand your business. You’ve been in business a couple of years and you see positive growth, so you want to leverage this and take things to the next level. Where do you start? Maybe it’s updating your website with a new logo and brand identity. Or, you know your company has a great story to tell, so maybe a little PR would help take things to the next level. Thinking about social media? Understanding the best platforms to get your message out also takes some consideration and thought. Either way, really understand what your goals are before making a decision as to what changes you decide to carry forth for 2017.
All of these involve one important idea: developing your company’s voice. Decide what you really want to communicate. This will take some strategy and real thought, so be prepared to sit down and put some ideas down. Ideally, you want to develop a value proposition.
This is what you promise to deliver to your customer, through specific benefits that differentiate you from your competition. From there, you can start evolving your brand and marketing strategy.
As an example, let’s say you have a restaurant looking to establish a bigger presence in your neighborhood. If this is the goal, then outline what makes your establishment special and unique in the space. If your restaurant specializes in healthy dishes, that specialty is an important, unique factor that will be the basis for a niche branding and marketing strategy. It sets the stage for a couple of things, namely the audience you’re trying to attract as well as the messaging you communicate. It also helps you cultivate what your value proposition would be.
Need some help identifying your value proposition? Contact us today for more information about our branding and marketing services.