Here is a One Random thought for you.
Sharks and Innovation.
I am obsessed with innovation. I provide innovation through marketing, but I keep coming to the same topic: no matter how big or small your business is, how experienced or new you are to the job or profession, innovation starts from day one and never stops. Did you know that sharks are one of the most ancient creatures on this planet?
How did they survive and continue to prosper, despite humans consuming unprecedented quantities of ‘flake’?
Their secret to survival and prosperity is motion. If they stop moving, they can die.
Have you noticed top tennis players when they are waiting to receive a serve? Their feet and body in a constant, rhythmic motion. They are ready to move in any direction and strategically respond to any ‘opportunity’.
Brands in Motion.
So. Without referring to all businesses as sharks, there is a lesson to learn from nature. You’ve heard about biomimicry?
To thrive, business needs to always be in motion. It must consistently respond to marketing and innovation opportunities. While there is nothing wrong with re-iteration, re-purposing, re-positioning, whatever you do needs to respond to how your customers are moving.
Have they changed the direction, preferences? Have they changed, full stop?
Innovation starts with observing and understanding the customer. It doesn’t start in the lab with research.
Informed innovation and marketing.
It starts with insights. These insights can come from formal market research or, especially in the B2B environment, simply from talking to your customers regularly. Many companies miss out when they limit their customer interaction to sales calls. These calls are critical. You need to close and upsell.
But it’s the other calls, the ones that seeks to explore, understand and touch for new pain points for which there isn’t a solution yet, are what makes the difference to an awesome future of your business.
These calls and interactions inform marketing, innovation, research and development.
Most importantly, these exploratory interactions build customer relationships and loyalty based on understanding and striving to meet their important needs. Content marketing is one of the most effective approaches that enable a business to stay in touch with their customers and prospects to both: learn and inform.
Your business may be doing well right now. You are on the right track. But, even if you are on the right track but are not moving, perhaps caught up in routine commitments, you will be run over!
Just a thought.
