What Do You Want Your Business to Look Like Five Years from Now?

How your business looks in five years will greatly depend on your branding and marketing efforts today.

As markets continue to evolve, brand managers need to keep themselves informed to avoid surprises. Users are becoming more sophisticated than ever. Google algorithms are constantly changing. Market moods can shift with the flip of a media switch. New competition can catch you off-guard. Some things you control; others, you don’t. But, if you don’t stay on top of it all, things can get a way from you pretty quickly. There’s no excuse for not being prepared.

If your brand cannot adapt to change, whether anticipated or not, you could end up burning cycles recovering what you lost instead of spending your time building on what you have. As Ben Franklin once put it, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”

Flexibility is Vital to Maintaining Brand Equity.

A great way to insulate your business from sudden shifts in market dynamics is to maintain a 30,000-foot view of who you are and what your Brand Promise is. Remember, you’re solving a problem or satisfying a need that transcends your products or services. It’s often an emotional benefit that your audience gains. Your Brand Promise should always be the foundation of your marketing and promotions. If executed well, it will provide an “umbrella” that allows you the room to build on your message and nurture the customer experience. And you’ll gain the flexibility to quickly react to change − or implement some of your own − without compromising the groundwork you’ve laid.

Never lose sight of why you do things differently and why it matters to your audience. Take ownership of what distinguishes your brand. Never take it for granted or become complacent. Set aside some time to revisit, reinforce, refresh and reaffirm your branding and marketing efforts on a regular basis. Continue to maintain and uphold your promise. If you keep delivering on it, loyalty will flourish.

As a business owner or marketing professional, you need to regularly step outside the bubble to see how others are viewing you. There’s a lot of noise out there. So, it’s important to find creative ways to give people a reason to pay attention to you. When was the last time you refreshed your logo? What about your website? Have you been following your competitors’ marketing efforts to find ways to answer them? How has your own narrative evolved? Remember, your brand is a story that’s never completely told. How about sharing an addendum?

So, What Are Your Goals for 2029?

Just like accumulating one’s personal wealth, successful brand building requires a long-term commitment and the willingness to prepare for and react to change. It would be a shame to lose it all because you boxed yourself in so tightly that something unforeseen cripples your business.

So, what are your plans to reinforce your brand and all you’ve worked for? Are you looking to freshen up your message and graphics? Is your website working its hardest for you? Do you plan to share more subject matter expertise through blogging? Are there more industry events and advertising in your future?

If you ever want to talk, drop us a line. It never hurts to get an objective opinion and costs you nothing but a little bit of your time. We’ll even pay for the coffee.

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