Have you got a Big Audacious Aim?

This weeks' topic was inspired by the very-insightful and thought-provoking speaker, Veronica Canning, who last week introduced me to the concept of a 'Big Audacious Aim'.

Firstly, I must advise any of you who have the opportunity to go to one of Veronica's events, make sure you do! As a start-up, it was music to my ears to receive practical, helpful advice to help me thrive and not just survive.

The constant barrage of bad news, economic despair and political unease doesn't make it easy for anyone, however, as a new entrepreneur, one could feel like throwing ones' hands up and saying 'what's the point?'.

The point is: why you're doing 'this' (whatever your business is) in the first place. What was your aim? Without one, you have a hard (well, impossible) job trying to remain motivated, which creates all sorts of other problems...

Build on your aim so that you have a broader long-term vision and always remember this simple equation:

Aim + Motivation + Long Term Goals = Vision = The road to success...

Until next week :)

The Basics of Social Networking

(image copyright: purepursuitintelnetwork.com)

Undoubtedly a subject of the moment, social networking is not exclusively for personal use and is proving itself to be an excellent form of communication for business.

It is a key way to generate brand awareness, create a following and interact with customers / clients.

However... there are pitfalls. Many of which relate to:

• Understanding of what social networking can accomplish;
• Fundamental set-up and usage of pages.

Though it is not impossible to get it right, (pretty much) first time, by following a few simple rules, many businesses give up their usage or become despondent simply because they don't know what they're doing!

1. Audience: Following last weeks' post, remember that you need to be mindful of who your audience is - e.g. demographic, interests etc;
2. Set-up: This applies mainly to Facebook pages, it is key that your page is set up correctly as appearing as a 'person' instead of a business is firstly, unprofessional, and secondly, likely to be closed off by the moderators of the site in the long-term. This means that all your hard work and followers will be lost!
3. Posting: Relevance and type of posting is key - try to put yourself in the mind of the customer you want to reach. Would they want to know the latest product or service you now offer? Yes. Do they want to know what you had for dinner on Saturday night? Probably not... unless you're a chef! Don't be a post-pest; constant and irrelevant posting can turn people off your page and business.

This is just a bite-sized taster of social media for business... remember how helpful it can be and more importantly, doing it right can really help your business.

Fish where the fishes are...

Cartoon - Copyright: irishcaricatures.com

You might wonder what I mean by this? Take a wild guess... ah come on folks!

OK, it's your... target audience and marketing!

It may be a maxim you're not entirely familiar with, but 'fish where the fishes are' indicates exactly what targeted marketing is about.

Do you know who your customer is? What age profile are they? Do they read / watch / listen to anything specific? If you don't know, find out.

In more recent times, absolutely everyone has started to use social media for business; while it is undoubtedly very helpful, if you don't use it properly... it can be a big waste of time.

Guess what next weeks' topic is? Nice link, I know!

Strategy: You got one?

Well... have you?

In business 'strategy' essentially delineates what you're about. It's the key piece of the jigsaw that helps you put the rest of your business together.

It doesn't have to be hugely complicated or extensively detailed, just quietly ambitious while remaining achievable.

For many businesses, a strategy doesn't exist, however there are implied values and aims which have become engrained in their everyday activity. Other organisations may have a 'mission statement' or a philosophy which governs the way they run their business.

Whatever the case, the most important thing to be remember is: if you don't know what you're doing, how do you expect anyone else to?! In business, that can mean customers, clients, media, staff... to mention a few.

If you would like more information on business strategy / planning, please contact irishbusinessintelligence.com.

Developing your small business... innovate!

Einstein claimed insanity to be 'doing the same thing over and over again, and expecting different results'. While you could say that this is a slightly brusque definition, it does hold true when we think of such behaviour in the context of the working world.

I feel it's particularly accurate when I think of some businesses I have worked with; they wanted to develop and grow their business, but felt that this was most effectively done by continuing on in the same vein as they always had. I hasten to add at this point, that their 'ways' were not all-too successful, and certainly didn't garner the kind of sky-scraping results they had in mind for their businesses in the short and long term!

My key point here is: INNOVATE! Don't expect that you are suddenly going to create an amazing response by using the same methodology to market or publicise your business... maybe you need to re-brand or examine the business model as it stands? Be honest with yourself...
there's no point in hiding from issues when you know they exist. Most importantly, ask for help or ideas from others if you need them. Know your strengths and your limitations: if you don't know - find someone who does! It'll be worth it in the long-run; you'll save time and money trying to excavate ideas that just are not there and be able to actively pursue the things you need to.

Sorry...

... for neglecting my blog!

Since I last posted, my website and business have, effectively, gone 'live' (whatever that means in terms of people actually knowing about it!).

It's an exciting time and I am fortunate to have had some enquiries, though nothing via my website as yet... all referral-based. I've spent time with some great mentors and advisors, and feel ready-to-go.

I'll keep you all up-to-date as I go, wish me luck!

P.S.: My website is www.irishbusinessintelligence.com... check it out!

What's in a name? (or a logo / insignia, for that matter)

(image copyright - logodesignworks.com)

This week I am blogging about branding and its importance in marketing...

I was astonished to note, through a survey conducted with a group of SMEs, that branding took a tumble in the percentages, where marketing remained in the 90%+ mark. A strong brand and identity is key to marketing... it is your business's calling card, its customers' memory-jogger, and part of the attraction-mechanism for prospective customers.

Think of a brand you recognise best by its logo or emblem; for me, some great examples are in the photo above. Each one of these businesses (or corporations!) are so synonomous with their branding that they often do not even need to use their name in advertising or other campaigns.
Obviously, their ability to do this is hugely contributed to by their length of time in business, but still, they did all start, like many of us do, with just an idea.

A truly successful brand is one which knows its customer and and its service or product, and ensures at every opportunity that this is carried through every point of contact with the public. A brand is assimilated and remembered by current customers, prospective customers and competitors. It's not just your logo or image - it's the sum of assumptions, perceptions, experiences and stories. Some of your brand is within your control, some isn't...

Remember one thing: a strong brand is invaluable as it is what places you in the mind of your customer, try to get it as close to perfect at the beginning and spend time on researching and developing it... a strong brand is also one which doesn't appear to change constantly!