Doing Business Differently to Grow

Today I am writing about doing business differently!

This blog has come out of having many and varied conversation, DMs, and emails back and forth, lately with colleagues, friends, clients – just various small business owners.

The crux of all the conversations has been “if nothing changes, nothing changes” – or the definition of insanity is to do the same thing over and over and expect a different result.

So today we are diving into changing things up – doing business differently – to get a different result. But also, looking outside the square to help you reach your goals.

We will be looking at this in two sections:

• doing things differently
• changing things to get change

The first and most obvious question I want to you answer in the first instance is:

• What are your business goals?

Because changing for the sake of changing and doing things differently just for the heck of it is NOT what this is about.

DOING THINGS DIFFERENTLY

We are focusing on doing things differently to help us achieve our goals and/or the result we want from that campaign, or strategy etc.

Let’s say you are an e-commerce business owner, and you want to grow your online presence, increase your brand awareness and sell more products – especially on say Instagram – but you hate reels. Think they are stupid and frankly hate video altogether and don’t do any of it.

Then in my opinion, as it stands today, with social media being where it is – turning up day after day, week after week, and NOT embracing what’s trending, working, bringing in the audience, is just ridiculous. It’s exactly the definition of insanity.

In this scenario, you aren’t prepared to do anything different but you want a different result.

I’m here to tell you – that’s not going to happen.

If what you are doing now isn’t working for your business, then do something different!

And to be clear, this doesn’t mean that you can’t do what you are doing now, but it does mean that it’s time to change something up to get a different result!

If you’re not in e-commerce but perhaps you are a leadership coach who needs more bookings or an accountant who needs more clients – and what you are doing right now in your business isn’t working for you – then change it up!

It seems so simple, and it probably is when someone points it out to you! But the reality is that no one of us is immune to becoming stuck in our ways, being busy doing the doing, and then sometimes forgetting to see if what we are doing is working or not working. And by working I mean helping us reach our goals!

So, if nothing changes, nothing changes!

CHANGING THINGS TO GET CHANGE

Let me give you my latest example of doing business differently. It involves my other business – Spend With Us – www.spendwithus.com.au

One of our biggest goals with that business was to create more brand awareness of who we are and what we are trying to achieve for rural and regional small businesses.

Our goal is to become the Amazon of rural and regional Australian marketplaces!

One of the biggest strategies we came up with for 2022 to create brand awareness and trust in the marketplace was launching the first-ever Australian Rural Business Awards.

There are NO awards specifically for rural and regional small businesses – unbelievable hey? So, we created them!

Yes, they were A LOT of work and yes, it was a massive strategy for us to undertake and the payoff – well - we haven’t seen it all yet, as we are just a few weeks post event!

But when looking at our strategy to create brand awareness, we could have done many things others are doing, but we wanted to do something different. We focussed on something that set us apart from our competition and introduced us as the market leaders.

Our focus with these awards was absolutely to celebrate rural and regional small businesses and highlight the absolute talent that exists in rural and regional Australia and put more businesses in the media and highlight their amazing business! But we are a business – so, of course, there was a very specific and targeted strategy behind it. It wasn’t a profit driven strategy, but it was a brand creating strategy.

Now I’m not suggesting you go out and create something this big, but I am suggesting that you take a look at your goals and take a look at your now marketing plan/strategy and see if the two are working together or in different directions or are not working at all!

Here are a few different ideas that you might be able to bring into your business to switch things up a bit:

• Writing those blogs you keep promising yourself you will do
• Start to show up more online in videos showcasing you, your product, and your services
• Create a podcast to show your expertise, build your brand and extend your network
• Open that TikTok account or that Pinterest account you know you need but keep putting off
• Write/Design/Construct a course to sell
• Implement that new email marketing program (this one is actually on my list – that’s my big goal for the second half of 2022)
• Hire that VA to help systemise your business or take some things off your plate
• Start working with a business strategy coach (me!) to help you take your business to the next level like you’ve been dreaming and keep you accountable as you go

So look at what that you need to do differently to help you reach your goals. Remember not all goals are financial – although most will lead you to a financial outcome eventually!

If you feel like your business is in a slump, not moving where you want it to or you are thinking (as I am) far out it’s the second part of the year and I haven’t …… (insert what you haven’t achieved that you thought you would by now) – then this blog has been timely for you!

Nothing changes if nothing changes.

If you want a different result – do something different.

Different might not yield the perfect result, but it will give you a different result and you can work/test/measure from there.

Reach out for the help you need to do things differently to get the result you need.

Follow different people online, listen to some different podcasts (like my Small Business Made Simple Podcast!) employ a VA, contract a coach/mentor, ask your other business friends for help – just take some action towards different!

Join me as I do some different things during the remainder of this year! I’d for love to you follow along and help where I can.

And please do go over to join my Facebook community Like Minded Business Owners Facebook group! I would love to continue the chat over there about how you are looking to do things differently!

So, let’s hang out and get social on social – you’ll find me on Instagram, Facebook and my fav LinkedIn.

CONTACT JENN:

I would love to help you build out a strategy on how you can do business differently to make an impact and reach your goals! Simply book a discovery call with me here!

Remember, please go and join my Like Minded Business Owners Facebook group. It’s such a great community of people and a brilliant place to connect with other small business owners.

Or you can DM me on Instagram or send me an email [email protected]

I wish to acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of the land, the Yorta Yorta People, on which I conduct my business today and pay my respects to their Elders past and present. I extend that respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples reading this blog post today.

About the Author:

Jenn Donovan of Social Media & Marketing Australia. Jenn’s an expert marketing coach and mentor from rural NSW. She is all about empowering business owners to earn what they’re worth so they can make a bigger difference in the world. The Founder of Buy From a Bush Business, Co-Founder of Spend With Us – Buy From a Bush Business Marketplace and host of the very popular podcast Small Business Made Simple, Jenn is all about community and humans interacting with humans! H2H Marketing – human to human marketing. Jenn talks the talk but importantly walks the walk! Jenn’s online community is over 320,000 with her famous Facebook Group currently at almost 365,000 members and still growing every day. She’s the mayor of her own little online city!

Get in touch – www.socialmediaandmarketing.com.au

On Instagram - @jenndonovan_

On Facebook – Jenn Donovan

Or on LinkedIn as Jenn Donovan