Creating a business growth mindset is key to growing any business. I love business--every aspect of it. One of the greatest things about my job, and the marketing industry in general, is the ability to see under the curtain of so many businesses.
We get to interact with sales teams, see operations, understand revenue problems, and dive into new products. My path from a visual designer and digital marketer to BrandCraft’s CEO has taught me firsthand how to find success.
So, what do businesses (and business owners) need to be effective? And what is the key to success in our fastest-growing clients? It varies by industry and by market, but for the most part, the secret to success is a business growth mindset.
A business growth mindset is one that looks beyond the next six months. Clients are aware of but not overly focused on competitors. They know that growth is attainable, and they’re willing to invest in it.
If you want to grow your business, you need a few building blocks in place. Here are the keys to growth and success in our highest-performing clients:
At BrandCraft, we do our best not to judge this because it’s so subjective. We let the market decide. Cat café? Go for it, but ultimately, the product must be relevant and desirable to be successful.
Good marketing can’t fix a bad product. Relevant doesn’t mean revolutionary. The iPhone was revolutionary and relevant--a powerful combination. A dental office is relevant but not revolutionary. TV repair shops are no longer relevant.
Where does your product or service stand?
Clear and uncluttered visual branding is sticky (memorable). It results in less marketing spend required per action. Solid brands tend to be well documented, and the brand standards are adhered to throughout the organization--from the top down.
A sure sign of a poorly controlled and executed brand is inconsistent marketing (usually run by multiple employees and vendors).
If you don’t know what to say or who your customer is, how can you expect meaningful marketing results? As a business, you have to create and believe strongly in your positioning statement. From there, you should create personas and messaging that align with your position.
If you haven’t read Building a StoryBrand, do it. It’ll help you put your customers first.
This is a website that can handle incoming traffic and convert leads. Your website is the home base for all other content marketing, social media marketing, and digital ad spend. It must pass minimum standards before we push traffic to it. If you’re running multiple digital campaigns to a single homepage, you’re going about it the wrong way.
Our clients must pre-qualify leads, sell their products, and have a person or team dedicated to this. This doesn’t always need to be a separate team.
Attorneys are often the only sales team for a law firm. Other times, a well-trained phone operator can handle the initial qualification. For e-commerce, the website handles it all. Regardless of who or how big the team is, it requires procedures, training, and communication with the marketing team.
Our best clients understand they aren’t going to go viral. They believe us when we tell them that we don’t have one email script that’ll fill your inbox with leads. You might be surprised that we don’t move every client into a click funnel.
At BrandCraft, we believe there are no shortcuts, quick fixes, or viral campaigns--and so do our successful clients. We learn, iterate, learn more, and improve. It’s a long-term game. Understanding this is fundamental to a business growth mindset.
If a client sees us as a vendor but not a partner in their success, they’ll never trust us or truly respect us. They’ll never let us fail, and failure is a great way to learn.
Some potential clients never get to this point. They question everything. Find a marketing partner you trust and give them time to learn, fail, improve, and ultimately thrive.
Our best clients don’t do anything revolutionary. They don’t have--or at least didn’t start with--a huge marketing budget. They don’t always have the best product on the market.
But here’s what they do have: drive, determination, and a business growth mindset. They know that they need a well-rounded, consistent, and fluid approach to growing their business. BrandCraft can help with that.
Torey Azure
CEO
BrandCraft
