How to Make 2018 Your Business’ Year

As we approach the pointy end of 2017, you’re probably seeing the initial stages of your business slowing down for the holiday season.

Whether 2017 was the year you wanted for your business, or your results fell short of your goals, this is the ideal time to consider the future of your brand into 2018 and beyond.

With this in mind, we suggest using this quieter time to take stock of where your business has come from, and where it’s going. Of course, it’s important that you’re asking the right questions, or you’re never going to get the answers you need in order to grow your business and hit your targets.

We at Brandonian operate entirely around setting ambitious, yet very specific goals, with explicit measures of success for each. Here are our three tips for reviewing the past year and looking forward, in terms of your business. 

1. Review your short- and longer-term goals

Revisit your one-year goals as set for 2017. Did you achieve them? Did you fall short? This will inform the one-year goals you set for 2018.

Also revisit your five-year goals. Are you on track? Are you way behind, or has your progress dwarfed the five-year goals you already set? Perhaps most importantly, are these goals still relevant – do they still represent the plans and desired outcomes you have for your future business?

 

2. Do a SWOT analysis of your current business

How is the health of your business right now?

Strengths – Where is your business currently excelling?
Weaknesses – Where is your business currently falling short?
Opportunities – What advancements in technology can you harness? What growth is happening in your industry? Are there any partnerships you could pursue?

 

Threats – What are the threats posed to your business and

/or industry – rising unemployment, increasing completion, changes in the global market?

 

3. Revisit your business’ values and your Why

Your business’ Why is central to everything you do. Why do you do what you do? What are you selling? No, what are you really selling? Why would people come to you? Are your internal staff values consistent with this?

Maybe you’ve been meaning to look at your goals and revisit your brand for a while, but you were so busy that 2017 just got away from you. As did 2016. Sound familiar? Congratulations! But if you’re serious about growing your business in 2018, now is the time to take action.

January will be here in the blink of an eye, and it won’t be long until you’re flat out with the day-to-day running of things once again. Before you know it, you’re thinking, “2019 is our year.”

 

---

 

Don’t wait until January to start planning next year’s success, and the growth and strength of your brand. This is the time to take the first step, so you hit the ground running when 2018 rolls around.

Brandonian will help you understand and awaken your brand, be heard in a noisy marketplace, and build a real connection with consumers. We believe marketing is a method and consumer behaviour is a science.

We use a proven, psychology based, five-step marketing system that small to medium businesses can use to position their products or services for success.

We develop a clear strategy to guide you in all your marketing, sales, and operations for full brand consistency and optimal cut through. We then work with you to establish a long-term brand strategy, using a proven system that provides immediate and sustained measurable results.

If you’re intrigued by our process, you can dip your toes in by taking our free online test and discovering your brand’s Archetype. This is the basis upon which all of your business’ communication and marketing is based, as it enables you to specifically seek out and appeal to your target audience.

Make 2018 the year you take charge of your business’ success – contact Brandonian now, and start thinking about what your brand will look like this time next year.

Take the test