The Art of the Pivot

If you’re a marketing professional, you know that change is inevitable and it can happen very quickly. So, if change is that one thing that makes you uncomfortable, you might want to pivot. See what I did there?

In marketing, having a plan is key. It’s called our roadmap. You need to know where you are going then, document what does and doesn’t work in order to know what the next move is. In some cases, you will need to pivot and shift your strategy. I’ve performed hundreds of marketing audits on different businesses and 95% of the time I suggest that they rework and reconsider the business’s foundation and roadmap. I find that most times there is no real foundation which, is not helping the business. You’re setting your team up for failure. I call it foundational integrity. 

Your business must have foundational integrity in order to build and eventually scale. And let’s face it, every business owner wants to scale. Just like building a house, you wouldn’t start with the roof. You would start by pouring a foundation of concrete to build upon. Well, it’s the same concept as your business. Putting the cart before the horse is a big mistake I see happen very often. 

Ok, so, once you have an established foundation and strategy, you begin to execute the plan and measure its results. All of a sudden you encounter an unexpected shift and notice the numbers aren’t climbing as you anticipated. The panic begins to wash over you and your anxiety is through the roof. Or, if you’re like me, you’re not panicking but thinking of the next step and how to pivot out of this! As marketing professionals, data changes and your job is to analyze it and do something with it or about it. Being able to pivot is crucial.

Recognizing the shift, whether good or bad, is a skillset that every marketer should possess. Given the sobering fact that a high percentage of startups fail within five years, it's often necessary to engage in the fine art of pivoting - altering your strategy and approach to the market in order to survive and even prosper.

So, what are some pivoting strategies I have found to be successful in my experience? Here is my quick list: 

1. Be objective about your data results

2. Include your customers in your pivot strategy

3. Gauge the impact

4. Execute

5. Implement

Startups that remain flexible and demonstrate a willingness to change are the ones with the best chance of staying in business for the long run. So, what do you think? Do you have what it takes to be a marketing pro?