10 Tips for Business and Marketing Success This Year

Hello everyone and hope you had a great year. It’s a new year and I figured I’d start off by sharing some tips on some things you can do to get off to the right start and make this year one of your most successful years yet.

Want to make a change in your life? Don’t procrastinate…because nothing will change unless you do something different. Here are some tips to make meaningful progress this year.

1. Focus on the needs of others over your own

A lot of people want to start their own business to make a lot of money or gain financial freedom. People tend to think about themselves and their own needs first.

But people and businesses that are successful focus more on what other people need over their own needs.

Instead of thinking about what you want, shift your focus towards what other people want or need first. Then figure out of you can fulfill those needs and align them with your own goals.

2. Get focused

If you want to see real results, then you need to pick one thing to focus on and focus solely on that. Identify the most important thing that you think will bring results in your business and life and focus on that.

Most people who succeed in growing their influence, for example, focus mainly on one channel when they start out. Some people grow their influence through guest blogging while others use SEO, write a book or master social media marketing.

Spending time on all of these channels at once is likely to produce mediocre results versus focusing on just one or two channels. Figure out what you want to focus on and make that your priority.

3. Find a coach or accountability partner

One way to improve your odds of success is to find a coach or accountability partner. As an entrepreneur or freelancer, you have control over your own schedule and the freedom to work when you want.

Unfortunately, that also means that you can easily lose focus or productivity if you aren’t careful.

Having a coach or accountability partner can keep you motivated and moving forward. Other people can help you get un-stuck and motivated to work towards your goals. Working with other people creates synergy, which leads to increased productivity so seek out other people who will champion your success.

4. Define the path you need to take to success

People often see other successful people and want to achieve immediate success. Although we all would like to get instant results, people who are successful often achieve success over a long period of time.

People sometimes focus on the wrong things at the wrong time because they see what other success people are focused on and think they should be focusing on the same things.

For example, a lot of people try to get into content marketing because they hear a lot of successful marketers talking about it.

But content marketing is expensive and a long term strategy. Many businesses that are looking for content marketers have already grown their business through other means and have the resources to invest into content marketing.

So when starting a new business, figure out what you should focus on first to start getting sales. Content marketing could still be an option, but you may find other alternatives that make more sense when you are starting out.

5. Develop a consistent learning habit

Learning is an important part of your journey towards success. Unfortunately, most people stop learning or educate themselves at a much slower pace after school is over.

Knowledge can inspire action and accelerate your path to success.

Here are a few ideas to ensure that you keep learning on an ongoing basis:

– Subscribe to blogs so that you get content in your inbox regularly. Commit to reading it, even when you don’t feel like it.

– Join local groups or organizations where people with similar interests meet up. Be sure to go regularly. Share and learn from others and grow smarter together.

– Join Facebook or LinkedIn groups so that you get exposed to more information when you are on social media

6. Break outside of your comfort zone

People’s actions are typically defined by their habits. We become comfortable with our routines and tend to repeat the same behaviors year after year.

However, to get results, we need to be able to break outside our comfort zone and do things differently.

Start by identifying actions that would improve your business and life, but are comfortable to you. Perhaps you are introverted and aren’t inclined to go out and network with people.

Or maybe you are uncomfortable with public speaking, even though you know it would be good for you.

Public speaking was scary for me until I started doing it regularly in high school. Sometimes it’s just a matter of being committed enough to take action and keep going until it becomes more comfortable.

7. Let go of perfectionism

One of the hardest things to do in business is to let go of perfectionism. Even if you don’t consider yourself a perfectionist, perfectionism might be holding you back from success.

School and work condition people to be cautious with their choices. One mistake on an important test could result in lower grades or one big mistake at work could result in getting fired or other negative consequences.

It’s not surprising that fear of failure keeps many people from even trying to start a new business or sticking with it until they succeed. We’re simply not conditioned to embrace failure as a learning opportunity.

People who succeed in business, however, are able to overcome perfectionism and take quick action. They accept the possibility that they will make mistakes and fail occasionally.

But once they’ve figured out one way to succeed, they’ve won. Mistakes and failure are simply speed bumps on the road to success.

8. Gravitate towards generosity or value creation

People who become thought leaders often gravitate towards generosity. They share some of their best ideas openly and try to help as many people as they can.

Even businesses can use generosity to grow. Some businesses get new customers and exposure by giving away free samples or products.

Some people also find new clients and customers by doing charity work or supporting their favorite cause. Generosity often breeds good will from other people and can result in more direct business or referrals.

9. If you are overwhelmed, then simplify

Starting a new business, trying out new sales or marketing strategies or even doing something new can sometimes be overwhelming. If you feel overwhelmed, then simplify the task at hand into easy to follow steps.

For example, instead of worrying about how to start a new business, start by trying to figure out how to sell your first product or service, even if you just make a few dollars from it.

If you want to write a book, then start by just writing your first page.

Simplifying complex things into easy to follow steps makes it much easier to take action.

10. Take action

Finally, take action because that is the most important step of all. Until you take action, don’t expect anything to change.

Expect to make mistakes and expect that success will sometimes take longer than you want it to. But don’t sit around waiting for the right moment or time. Because the perfect time will never come.

Hope you find these tips helpful and I wish you a successful and prosperous new year.