Why your strategy is due for a do-over

 There comes a point in the life of every company when things seem to level out. There comes a time when a company is where it is yet few, if any, understand how it got to where it is. Perhaps it’s now time to revisit your overall strategy from website to SEO to your marketing and customer engagement strategies.

•  The sad tale of the matter is that most companies, especially small businesses, tend to ignore short and long term strategy altogether. The usual excuse is that there is no time for it. Everyone is too busy to think about customer acquisition, SEO, positioning and a plethora of other challenges you need to consider on a daily basis. If you are always pressed for time, you need to begin formulating your new strategy based on better resource allocation and more effective time management.
• Do you have strategy sessions with your employees to discuss the recent state of the business? Are you getting feedback from your people who are out there on the front lines for you or are you just holding “team meetings” where the dictatorship continues?
• You need a do-over in your strategy if you can’t actually recall the last time you even thought about strategy. If your days are all looking and feeling the same, it is time to shake things up and to get more aggressive with your future planning. Running on autopilot, today, means your competitors will soon be running by you.
• Look around and evaluate where you are now. Is this the place you really wanted your company to end up? What is your customer and/or client base like? Are these clients actually the ones you want? Most small businesses tend to ignore their rivals and it always comes back to haunt them. If you are looking at your competitors and they are more creative and innovative than you, it’s definitely time for a strategy do-over.
• When was the last time you did any serious advertising or marketing? When was the last time your website was revamped? How’s your SEO strategy? Do you even have one? You can’t remain static today or you will get run down by more aggressive competitors or by the simple fact that you have lost touch with your customer base. Everything is fluid these days. Everything constantly changes and evolves as business conditions change. You must be fluid and visionary. Standing still only means it will be easier for you to see the competition running by you.

-Written by Kevin Sawyer