Do You Need to Pivot Your Business for Greater Success?
Jackie Smith
Regen Ag Marketing I Kickstart the Ag Revolution I Planet - People - Profit
The most successful businesses in the world are often those that have found a way to truly meet the needs of their customers. In this time of shutdowns and supply chain interruptions does marketing the way “we’ve always done” create growth or even allow us to open our doors?
Pivoting To Find Opportunities in Our New Normal Business World
If you know anything about basketball you know that a player pivots by keeping the ball of one foot in place while turning around to get a better angle to pass or score. Usually after a number of “pivots” a basketball player finds an opportunity and takes it.
Note that I said “after a number of pivots” because the search for an opportunity is usually more complicated than just turning once. In basketball there are many opposing team members trying to guess your next move and often they are right. A basketball star will often make a move that was totally unexpected. A move that may win the game.
It’s the same in business. Most successful businesses have a Marketing Strategy with many parts that have proven effective. But this is a time like no other and we all have to reexamine our marketing to see if it really meets the needs of our clients. Like that basketball player we are always looking for opportunities to better serve our clientele.
As we move into our new normal it’s a good time to reevaluate how you’ve marketed your business in the past. There may be parts that are no longer relevant and marketing channels you’ve never tried before. Those businesses that find a way to truly meet the needs of their customers will be the most successful. That means that, as a copywriter, I have to rethink what my clients NEED during this pandemic and figure out how I can fill that need. That may mean pivoting to a different writing format than usual, or even a different market.
Our markets may have changed and while keeping one foot solidly on the floor it is time to Pivot around to see what other opportunities may exist. Writing that fits the client and their customers’ needs help that company reach a state where customers have the very least amount of resistance to buying.
For example, as a rancher with range fed beef are you thinking about farm to fork marketing? As a dairy farmer are you searching for creative ways you can market your milk so you don’t have to pour it out? Could an intense Marketing Campaign convince Americans that their milk doesn’t have to be refrigerated if it undergoes UHT Treatment?
These “Out of the Box” Ideas May Be the Norm in the Future.
Nobody has a lock on any industry, but each time you consider a new angle you are increasing your chances of success.
A copywriter and marketing strategist examines four areas of the Marketing Strategy that determine whether or not you are serving your markets. To fit market needs there must be:
- An alignment between the core problem faced by our clients and our product solution (dumping milk/different processing techniques/educating consumers)
- A resonance between the problem faced by our clients and their customers and the ability of current technology to solve those problems (create retail clientele/on farm USDA Approved slaughter/shipping to retail markets)
- Channels that make it easy to communicate the solutions to problems (educational videos, Facebook, email newsletters, white papers, etc.)
- A well-defined message that positions you as the bridge between the core problem and the solution
Our markets may have changed and while keeping one foot solidly on the floor it is time to Pivot around to see what other opportunities may exist. Writing that fits the client and their customers’ needs help that company reach a state where customers have the very least amount of resistance to buying.
Large and small businesses all over the world are having to change direction, Pivot, because of supply chain disruptions, consumer demands, and the inability to have storefronts. Many businesses are now using their websites as ecommerce sites. Other businesses are offering different products and are entering the world of shipping and packaging.
Re Evaluating Marketing Strategies
In our “new normal” world we have to reassess everything. We have to challenge the assumptions we have made about the entire marketplace, our clients needs, and the needs of the end users. Pivoting is all about questioning the actual needs of our clients and how we can best serve them
What always worked in the past may no longer be the best way going forward. The Covid-19 pandemic has changed much of the world forever. Only time will tell if this is a Pivotal Moment. I believe it is and we will have to pivot to see new opportunities.
If you’re ready to start thinking outside the box, if you’re ready to pivot, contact me. Let’s see how far we can go in this new world.
Regen Ag Marketing I Kickstart the Ag Revolution I Planet - People - Profit
3 年Connie, we really date ourselves having that knowledge. I work part-time for a chiropractor and we use a typewriter to make file folder labels. Easier than using computer and printer ??