After reading Duhigg, the answer may be yes. For instance, using Duhigg's replacement approach, essentially substituting a good habit for a bad habit, one might be able to more effectively accomplish an objective. Let's say a business owner swaps the habit of frivolous internet searches during lunch with activity that generates a referral. Repeated and sustained replacements like  this may actually help grow your business (rather than a run down the social media rabbit hole). Definitely a worthwhile read.

[Note: As a former Alcoa employee (still can’t get used to Arconic), I also particularly enjoyed the section on Paul O’Neill, making safety a habit at the Aluminum giant.]

And, it may be harder to keep your employees or contractors as competitors wrestle with the same issue. It may be time to increase wages though that for sure will impact your bottom line. Isn't this fun? Time to prioritize -- will you curb your growth plans to maintain profitability? Will you pass on the additional costs to your customers? Will you be able to grow and raise prices?

Unless you are a planning nerd (like me) who actually enjoys planning, the thought of working on your business’s growth plan probably ranks right up there with a root canal (or a Florence Foster Jenkins aria).

But, it doesn’t have to be so bad. In fact, for most businesses, you probably don’t need a 40-page plan with an appendix full of financial projections.

In this short video, I’ll walk you through 4 growth plan types that can be highly effective, especially for small and medium size business. I’ve tried to boil it down in a simple flow chart to help you decide which plan type is right for you.

I wrote a book.

It is a short book, but, a book nonetheless. And it took a bit more effort and time than anticipated. Now, it is not the next great American novel. It is a non-fiction business book on growth planning I call the Growth Strategist’s Guidebook.

Some of you may recall that last summer, I created and launched THRIVE!, a growth planning workshop webinar series. This year, I took all of those workshop exercises, feedback from the webinar participants and compiled them into a short, ten-chapter workbook.

The workbook is ideal for business leaders who want to grow their business and are looking for a place to start. Business leaders have so many questions about growth: what are my best options for growth? How much should I invest? Where should I invest to grow? And, our digital world offers so many new ways to promote your business, the challenge can quickly overwhelm even the most savvy business owner. In a matter of minutes, you can now launch a global digital advertising campaign from your mobile phone. But, before you post, publish or pay-per-click, I urge you to plan. And that’s where the book can help.

The Growth Strategist’s Guidebook walks you through the important elements of a marketing plan but also explores how to grow your business beyond traditional marketing. I also share a powerful framework to identify and evaluate your strategic options.

Here’s my promise to readers: if you use it as a workbook and diligently complete all of the exercises, you will have a much better growth plan and make stronger strategic decisions for your busienss. Then, it is up to you to put that plan into action.

Please check it out and spread the word. By the way, Amazon is running great deals for the Kindle version, so go get a copy on the cheap here!

"First of all," he said, "if you can learn a simple trick, Scout, you'll get along a lot better with all kinds of folks. You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view […] until you climb into his skin and walk around in it."

My lit professors would probably cringe that I am using an American classic to make a marketing point. But, this is a perfect example of the power of empathy when used to better understand your customers.

For Scout and Jim, Boo Radley is mystery — elusive and enigmatic. And, for many of us, so are customers. As I mentioned in my last post, understanding what they are really buying is a critical part of your marketing strategy. So, how do you gain that deep understanding? Here’s a thought experiment worth trying:

Spend an imaginary day in the life of your customer.

That’s right. From the moment you wake up to the moment you hit the sack, try to imagine the experience from the perspective of your customer. Pay attention to the those little life experiences. How does (s)he live his life? As you go through your own daily routine, ask yourself, what is my customer doing right now? Pay the most attention to where, when and how your product or service is relevant throughout the day. How well do you really know them? 

Even better, if possible, see if you can spend a day shadowing a real customer for a first-hand assessment. Sure, some behaviors will change simply because you are observing them. That’s ok. You’ll be able to easily determine what they normally do when you’re not around. (I hope it goes without saying that you’ll want to get permission before you start spying on them. You’ll avoid some awkward moments.)

Marketers that conduct this little experiment will gain competitive advantage. How? First, you’ll likely learn new or better ways to reach your target customer which will help improve your marketing. Second, and more importantly, you’ll gain an appreciation for the challenges your customer is facing. Those pain points we like to talk aren’t theoretical — they are quite real and you’ll be in a better position to not only understand them, but solve them.

There’s a relatively simple logic at play here: if you don’t understand your customers’ needs and wants, you will not be able to sustainably grow your business. For instance, let’s assume you think your customers are buying your products and services because of your advanced technology. But, your customers actually want on time delivery. Then, what they are really buying is reliability. So, you can talk about advanced technology until you are blue in the face and they won’t buy unless you can demonstrate that your technology delivers reliability (i.e., your technology makes you and your customers more reliable).

You probably already knew that. No news there. The harder question is, HOW do you know what your customers really want? One effective way is also one of the simplest:

Listen to them.

That’s why i love Accelo (formerly AffinityLive), my business management system (CRM, project management).

I’m not one of their large customers, so I don’t think I get any special treatment. My consulting firm is really small. But, Accelo takes the time to understand my business. And, there’s nothing quite like the feeling you get when a suggestion you’ve made is actually implemented. Accelo has an Ideas & Suggestions function in their Help box, which actually works. That is, not only do they acknowledge your idea, they actually use it. Kind of a novel approach, right? 

That ability to listen and react to their customers and users has made Accelo’s product even better, especially with the new design unveiled this week. Their efforts makes it easier for me to manage my business. And, that’s what I wanted when I bought the technology — a tool to make my business life easier, not harder.

So, here’s a tip I share with participants in my growth strategy workshops:

Tap into the power of good questions to help guide the development of your strategic objectives. In an earlier post, I discussed the need for SMART objectives (see http://kinneystrategy.com/blog/are-your-marketing-objectives-moving-you-in-the-wrong-direction). Once you have a good draft of a strategic objective, don’t stop there. Dig deeper. Strategic objectives don’t work by themselves, of course. You have to figure out how to accomplish them. Which, in turn, becomes your strategy. 

Here are 3 simple, but extremely powerful questions that will help keep you on track and give a little boost to your strategic planning:

Power Question One: Why?

 Frame your draft strategic objective as a “why?” question. For instance, if you want to generate $10,000,000 in revenue by year-end 2016, then a why question might become, “Why should we generate $10,000,000 in annual revenue by year-end 2016?” You may also see some other “why” questions as well, like, “Why year-end 2016?” The questions will prompt a set of “because” answers. Those explanations will point to that what you are really after. And, it might even serve as a catalyst to change your strategic objective to one that will more elegantly (more quickly, more efficiently) advance you to what you want. 

Now, for every “because” answer that is given, keep asking why. Try asking “why?” 5 times so that you have a chain of responses, each response leading you closer to the true root objective. By the way, there is no magic to asking 5 times. I’ve simply found that by the 3rd or 4th probe, things start to crystallize just about at the point where the exercise becomes really annoying!
 
A word of caution: the question “why?” may evoke an unintended emotional response for some leaders who may perceive it as a challenge, threat or outright insubordination. “Why are you challenging me on this?” is not an uncommon first response. However, as a strategic planning tool, “why?” is a powerful ally and can unlock a wealth of information. I have found that leaders who foster cultures that encourage questions develop better strategies and make better decisions. 

Power Question 2: How?

“How?” is a lot less threatening than “why?” and opens the doors of possibility and opportunity. Once you have a “why?” vetted strategic objective, frame it as a “how?” question. For instance, using the example above, the “how?” version may become, “How will we generate $10,000,000 in annual revenue by year-end 2016?” 

“How?” questions get people thinking. You’ve turned your strategic objective into something that begs to be solved and answered. Now you can use that question to your advantage by asking your team and trusted advisors to brainstorm solutions to your “how?” question. The fruit of those brainstorming sessions will become strategic options that you can explore and evaluate. That leads us to the 3rd power question.

Power Question 3: What If?

I recommend answering the “how?” power question with a “what if?” question. Phrasing your answer in the form of a “what if?” question rather than a statement keeps the answer in an open idea format and compels your planners to explore the possibilities and implications of the idea. And, at this stage of the strategic planning process, the aim is to identify as many strategic options as possible. Unlike definitive statements, “what if?” questions spark other ideas and invite further analysis. Challenge your team to come up with as many “what if?” questions as possible.

“Why, you ask?”

Well, it is very likely that at least one of these “what if’s?” will turn out to be your best strategic option. If you are working on a strategic plan, try these 3 power questions and let me know how they work for you.

Some of it is actually pretty good. But, most of it is really bad, like a leftover lunch that wasn’t so great the first time -- the same old, repurposed platitudes recycling through cyberspace for the past few years.

The ones that get it right share a common understanding:

No one wants to read “content.” 

We are looking for answers to questions. We have a challenge that needs to be solved and hoping you might share some real insight. We want information. We want help.

So, if you want develop content that potential customers actually want to read (use, share, etc.), the answer is painfully simple but difficult to master: you must truly understand what your customers really need, want and what they are really buying.

We all know by now that publishing content helps the publisher. But, forget about that and remember that the primary purpose of your content is not to serve you. It is there to serve your customers. If you keep their needs front and center and strive to help them, you will develop information worthy of reading. More give, less take = happy customers

A Pet Peeve, A Plea & A Pledge

Let me conclude this by sharing (1.) a pet peeve; (2.) a plea; and (3.) a pledge:

1. It is disappointing that the marketing community insists on labeling our inbound marketing programs “content marketing.” It is ironic that the literal sense of the word has come to mean something so empty. We’re better than that.
2. So, with full realization of how little influence I wield in the grand scheme of it all, I humbly ask my fellow marketing peers: let’s stop calling it “content.” I’m open to suggestions for a replacement.
3. Going forward, I pledge to stop using that phrase. 

Who is with me?

Expansion into new markets is certainly a viable strategy but carries considerable risk. How do you know if you are going after the right business? When do you cut bait or double down? Is it better to test the waters in several markets at the same time or concentrate your resources on one new market at a time?

Developing new markets is big challenge and there are many pitfalls. First, it is all too easy to take your eye off the ball and get sucked back into your old business routines and status quo. On top of that, it may take a lot longer than you think to break into a new market. How long are you prepared to wait until? For a short while, you’ll likely benefit from the buzz of being the new kid on the block. But, that novelty will wear off quickly if you fail to prove your value proposition early on. In addition, developing a new market may require new business processes. That can be disruptive. New customers may not do business exactly the same way your current customers and you may have to adapt. If you don’t, those new wins may soon go elsewhere. 

Is it worth it? It certainly can be if you are prepared. Here are six recommendations to help you get ready:

1. Do your homework. Don’t jump into a new market without conducting the necessary industry, customer and competitive research. Have a full and realistic understanding of what you are getting into.
2. Be objective. Don’t rely on gut instinct, hunches or be swayed by pie in the sky growth projections. Develop a list of criteria, meaningful factors that truly matter to your business, and rate each new market opportunity against those criteria. Use a scoring tool to help guide your evaluation. The highest scoring options will be your first priority.
3. Hire an expert in the market. If you’ve never ventured into the market before, bring someone on board (as a consultant or employee) who knows the ropes, speaks the language and has a proven track record in the new space. An experienced player can save you a lot of time and resources.
4. Get your house in order. Conduct a thorough gap analysis to identify all of the issues, resources (talent, time, treasure), and processes (sales, operations, administration, etc.) needed to respond to the new business requirements.
5. Bring your full squad. Too many times, I’ve seen companies fail to develop new markets because they don’t dedicate the full resources of the company and make it an organization wide effort. Small task forces often don’t have the juice or authority to make the new market push a reality. Make sure that your whole team understands the mission and their role.
6. Laser strike. It may be tempting and satisfying to your ego to make a big splash in a new market. But, before you go for the whole hog, you may be more successful earning some small wins and then go big.

Good luck out there!

It’s a running joke in the marketing world because we still hear this a lot in creative review. But, that kind of feedback doesn’t really help improve the work. The feedback your creative team really needs should be specific, objective and actionable -- information that they can use to do great work for you.

Last week, a client asked me to critique an ad that was running in a trade industry publication, which got me thinking about the importance of providing feedback on creative marketing. For sure, the creative execution of your marketing plan is critical to your success. Your campaign can make or break you. But, developing creative that is on strategy is not easy. Sometimes, your marketing team and creative agency go Giancarlo Stanton on you and knock it out of the park. Other times, even great creative minds strike out. 

One common element all great creative is that it is on strategy. And, keeping it on strategy comes down to providing meaningful feedback that shapes the creative output. Over my years in marketing, I’ve been fortunate to serve on many sides of the creative process (creative agency, strategy consultant, client), so I have learned (though painfully and slowly) how to give and receive objective, honest feedback that improves the creative output and helps keep it on strategy.

Here are 7 focus questions I use when reviewing creative work to help keep it on strategy. This is by no means a full and exhaustive set of questions, but it is a good start!

1. Does it meet or deviate from brand standards? This one is easy and obvious, but can’t be ignored. Check to make sure that the use of the logo, fonts, and color palette meets your business’s guidelines. If you don’t have established guidelines, it is worth the investment to create them, especially if you are outsourcing your creative work to an agency or design firm.
2. Is it ownable? In other words, are you selling the category or are you selling yourself? Here’s a quick test: replace your logo and all company references with your top competitor? If the creative works just as well for them, you may need to go back to the drawing board.
3. Does it address the drivers of your target audience? How well do you understand what your customer is really buying and why they are buying it? Does the creative address what really motivates the decision-maker? 
4. Does it fulfill requirements of the creative brief? You are writing and/or reviewing creative briefs, right? And your creative team is reading them, of course. Do a quick check to make sure all of the mandatories are reflected in the creative. 
5. Are your competitive advantages clearly communicated? Many times, we tend to concentrate on the features of a particular product or service and fail to communicate the benefits that those features create. Remember, people don’t buy features. They buy results. Your ability to deliver those results better than anyone else is what differentiates you in the market. Talk more about how you help your customer and less about yourself.
6. Does the call to action drive a key performance indicator? A key performance indicator is a measurable behavior trigger that signifies a critical step in the buying cycle (e.g., calls, clicks, downloads, RFQ’s, etc.). Good creative will change behavior, ultimately turning a prospective customer from being completely unaware to a loyal fan. An important step in that journey is a compelling call to action. And that call to action should drive behavior that moves a prospect through the intended sales funnel, generating qualified leads that you can close. So, play to your strengths. Don’t drive leads to your website if your website is weak or fails to capture leads. At the same time, the call to action must also factor in what your prospect is willing to do. If you know that your target prospect is unlikely to make a phone call, then don’t make a phone call the only way to engage with you.
7. Is the creative idea weak or strong? This is a quick check of the overall concept:  
   • Is it cliché or obviously derivative? A cliché with a clever twist is fine. But, a straight up cliché is just lazy. OK, there’s nothing new under the sun, but pure copycat work is painful. (Just think about any rip-off of the “Got Milk?” campaign.)
   • Is it relevant? Does the creative reflect or tap into a contemporary theme that matters to the target audience?
   • Is it memorable? Is there something about the concept that keeps you thinking about it even long after you’ve seen or heard it or did you forget it immediately? 
   • Is it remarkable? I mean remarkable in the literal, Seth Godin sense here -- do you want to talk about it and share it with someone else?

Try these questions the next time you need to provide feedback on creative marketing materials and let me know if they helped improve the work.