Fall is a time for business reinvention!

We’ve all heard of spring cleaning, but that doesn’t mean continuous updates to your business’s services and promotions should be put on the shelves for the rest of the year. It’s important to keep up with the wants and needs of your targeted clients along with the status of your current competitors. Fall is a great time to bring out the creativity and step up your game.
Out With the Old
With trends and ways to market your business constantly changing, it is necessary to know when to move on to something new. The start of any new season is guaranteed to bring a new line of foods, clothes, hairstyles, web content, music, films, cars….and, if you’re doing your job right, new creative business strategies. This is significant if you want to keep up with your competitors and show your prospective clients what makes you different. If you’re running a restaurant, think about making a fall menu. Own a hair salon? Run a special price on fall color… You get the point.
Stick to Web
There is a reason the majority of the most innovative companies of the decade started online. People no longer rely on newspapers or other forms of print media for personal or business purposes. With everything at the click of a button, online business content is a must. Start with your website: is it updated and appealing? While you want to avoid being too flashy, remember to make the site attractive enough to keep your viewer from being bored or turned off by a dull appearance. Make sure all relevant information is available, from what your business is about to how people can reach you. Most importantly, is your website responsive to all screen sizes, like desktops, tablets and mobile? Responsive simply means the content on the website can enlarge and shrink according to the size of the device it is being viewed on. Time spent using smartphones now exceeds Web usage on computers in the U.S., U.K. and Italy. Americans spent 34 hours using smartphone apps and on the mobile Web in December 2013, up to six hours from December 2012.
Next, focus on social media.  Over one billion people are active on Facebook today. Why shouldn’t your business be? Update your content regularly, making sure there is meaning beyond the post that exceeds an excuse to just talk about your company. Pose questions that are relevant to your business, and provide articles, photos or videos that touch base on topics you want to highlight. Talk to your clients to learn what your audience wants to see. Remember that it doesn’t end with Facebook, the same goes for Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube. If you want to be more available to clients and potential customers, go where your audience is spending time and money (Over 6 billion hours of video are watched each month on YouTube—that’s almost an hour for every person on Earth).
Think Outside the Box
While it’s good to stick to what you know, you shouldn’t hesitate to bring innovative ideas to the table. While you may have a process that consistently “works for you”, don’t be scared to tackle a new business or marketing strategy on the side. This starts with doing your research, or hiring an agency, to discover how you can put your own spin on the latest business trends and make them work. To get a feel for some realistic possibilities, try a personal project on your own over the weekend or if you have time during the week. Do a test run to find things that work for you, things that don’t, and new ideas you could possibly improve your business. You could add a new item to your sales list, find a new recipe, or update your photography.
Branch Out
Networking has always been significant to the success of a business, and though how we network is always changing, the concept is not. Business expansion can only be accomplished through getting the right people to help you through word of mouth, increasing your web presence, and becoming a reliable reference. This starts with the right communication skills, which means developing a good relationship with people you meet and clients you already have (local networking groups can be good for this). Remember you are trying to earn a good reputation, and it all goes back to what you can provide and what your competitors are lacking.  It’s about helping others help you.
Hopefully this blog about Fall Business Reinvention gave you some insight and motivation to stir thoughts so you can execute some new ideas or even try new strategies. This is also the time of the year to prepare for your holiday promotions, holiday cards and promotional items. Don’t leave everything for the last minute. By planning ahead you can save money, meet deadlines and be the first one to arrive at your customer’s door. Or email, if you go all the way digital.