If you’re like us, January 4 wasn’t just a return to work, it was time to rev up your creative engines and brainstorm must-do marketing ideas for your company and clients in 2016.
Download PDF of this issue: 5 Things You Must Do in 2016
Here are five categories to tackle in order to hit the ground running in the new year:
Speak
Opportunities will be going, going, gone in the next weeks. They book up fast at the best conferences, like Bloomberg LIVE, Inc. Conferences and Forbes Summits, but there are also important industry events, like Money 20/20 for fintech and GreenBiz for cleantech. Get on panels that put you in front of your target market or the people who can refer business. You may have to pay to participate.
Evaluate through a cost-benefit analysis. Speaking hones your thinking and messages and is a great discipline to guide your year-long marketing effort. Host a webinar. It’s not the number of people who hear you — it’s who. Alumni groups host webinars and so do trade groups. Brainstorm with your team where you need to be.
Write
What makes an industry expert? Writing. Commit to writing at least half a dozen articles for blogs, newsletters and business and trade publications that accept bylines or guest articles. Review submission guidelines that tell you how many words the article must be and don’t go beyond the word count. Don’t sell. Give readers information they don’t know and knowledge they can’t buy. No matter how limited the initial circulation, post the work on your LinkedIn page, Twitter account and share it in your eNewsletter.
Frame the articles and hang them in your office. Ever wonder why some business people have a confident, immediate response to questions about their business? It’s because they’ve honed their messages through writing.
Network
Meet people face-to-face. There’s no substitute. The goal is conversation — and a relationship based on more than business and sales goals. Such relationships expand your network and your life. It may come as a surprise when referrals come in. Create a calendar of events and conferences to attend in 2016. At OWC, we’re sponsoring Ernst & Young LLP’s Entrepreneur Of The Year program, and hosting tables at various Los Angeles Business Journal and Town Hall Los Angeles events. The author E.M. Forster famously stated the secret of all success: “Only connect.”
Awards, honors and lists
Awards and lists matter — especially if you’re not included. Business trades such as Inc. and Fast Company, the local business journals and trade publications publish annual lists of the top performers in nearly every industry. There is even a list by CareerBliss for the “50 Happiest U.S. Companies.” Who wouldn’t want to work for (or with) one of the companies on that list?
Engage Your Community
Give back. Find a local nonprofit that could use your services. Volunteer as a guest lecturer at your local college. It’s not just a good thing to do, it’s good for business. Almost 60 percent of Americans are more likely to buy a product associated with a nonprofit partnership.
Commit time and money to each of these categories to keep your brand fresh, your people energized and your ideas crisp. Call us if you want to brainstorm.
Happy New Year!