The Step Change Blog

Marketing without a plan is like trying to chop down a tree with a crowbar. You might get there in the end, but there’s a better way.

If you think that email marketing is dead and that using email to reach your audience is an outdated approach, here are some statistics to prove that it’s here to stay and it’s not slowing down anytime in the future.

Public relations is a very important tool when you want to build brand awareness and be recognised as an expert. But is it right for your business now?

In 2017, a mattress war exploded when local mattress seller Koala threw massive shade at high-end bedding giant De Rucci. If you’ve been travelling from Sydney to Melbourne, you may have seen these somewhere near the airports...

KitKat wasn’t always the behemoth brand that it is today. It used to be floating around with all other Nestlé products, struggling to gain traction and make a name for itself. Like KitKat, many businesses often have a great idea or product but often find it difficult to get people to buy. Because the truth is, it’s often the best marketing, and not the best product, that wins.

On a degree of difficulty scale, marketing prescription pharmaceuticals rates high on the list. It’s an industry like no other — categorised by heavy restrictions, a shed load of data, and an audience that is limited and hugely intelligent.

To top that off, there’s also limited time to monetise the new drug before generics flood the market.

So in a few short years, your marketing campaigns need to shift choice away from the incumbent, educate those at the upper end of the knowledge chain, build brand loyalty and value above just price, and remain within the confines of the MA code.

It’s not a task for the faint of heart.

Marketing has changed. It used to be a distinct element of an organisation with a simple focus: getting goods and services from concept to customer.

But the world has changed, and so too must the way we view marketing.

As silos crumble around us and the world becomes more connected, integrated, and seamless, it’s becoming harder to see where one thing ends and another begins.

Which is why marketing needs a rethink.

And that rethink starts with a new definition.

Webinars deliver tremendous value both to the business and the audience. It’s a great and cut-through way to share, engage, connect, and educate your audience wherever they are in the world. That’s why we’ve always been fans of webinars.

Recently, Step Change had the privilege of leveraging the power of webinars.

Our CEO, Ashton Bishop, presented “Predatory Marketing: Repositioning the Competition to Build Business” to 76 CEOs, CMOs, and Marketing Directors for a series powered by GoToWebinar.

As the holiday rush pours in, you need to do more than the usual to make an impact in your holiday marketing.

To make a lasting impression that leads to conversion for the holidays, you have to be able to capture interest and emotionally connect with your audience to elicit a response and get them to engage.

The most effective way to do that is through emotive storytelling.  

Your brand is anything that comes from your company as a specific source. To the consumer, it symbolises what they can expect when they do business with you. And in today’s crowded marketplace, it’s more important than ever to ensure that your brand stands out from the crowd. 

Are you selling a product or a service? If you are, then you know that having a selling proposition will make an impact and ultimately make the sale. However, it is not enough to just have a selling proposition. It needs to be enticing. It needs to be original and clever. And most importantly, the message needs to make customers buy.

So you’ve been telling your audience lots of things about your business. But the thing is, is what you’re saying valuable to your customers? Does your message resonate with them? And does your message differentiate you from the other brands?

Every cent your company leaves on the table is a missed opportunity, allowing your competitors to gain resources and customers that could have been yours. If you work with a vendor or manufacturer, there is a good change that you are not using potential marketing funds that are available to you.

What should you strive to work on in the first 12 months to successfully connect your team with your business strategy?

Invisible Marketing is the messaging customers don’t see. And this is the key to a step change for the Financial Services industry.

At Step Change, we deliver it through a workshop on behavioural economics, and it’s one of our most intellectual perspectives on marketing. Our clients usually ask us, “How do I apply invisible marketing to our brand, products, and our marketing?” Well, if you have a product that isn’t tangible, or if you need to elevate your brand to number one, this is a critical thought process for you.

I came across this question from a budding entrepreneur in an online community of marketers: “I just launched my own consultancy, and I am curious: Do I focus on reaching out and getting clients? Or do I build my brand online with the aim of acquiring clients that way?”

It’s a great question. It’s just not the first one I’d be asking. Here’s why.

The retail giant is making its long-awaited move into Australia, bringing its new brand of instant retail distribution to Down Under. While previously only available with expensive shipping and sales in USD, the average Australian consumer will now have easy access to products from around the world in local currency and a higher level of convenience.

What is the one thing you can do to really connect your strategy to your workforce, the ones who will help you execute it?

Oftentimes, leaders and executives of service-based businesses get fewer opportunities to engage with their clients. So how can you ensure that your team are really building high-value relationships with them?

In two minutes, Step Change Founding Partner, Jeff Cooper, shares this and more.

Too many professional services and consultancies have become hyperspecialised to the point where too many missed the end business result they are driving. At Step Change, we’re here to inspire step changes in your business and your people, and that means looking at your business more holistically than a typical service line specialty would allow.

Many businesses succeed because they have leaders who are eloquent visionaries. They inspire their people with their brilliant strategy to reach their goal. And most importantly, they know that strategy alone is not enough to win. Execution — and how well their people understand this — is the key. So when it comes to people, which is more important — strategy or execution?

Are people in your organisation your most important asset? Or are they your biggest liability? Find out how people can be your most valuable asset in Jeff Cooper’s interview with the founder and managing director of Checkside, Chris Bates.

How people experience a brand largely impacts their loyalty. No wonder a lot of businesses consider customer experience very important. The challenge is, in the age of digital revolution, customers’ expectations are set high up there. So how can businesses meet the demand for a remarkable customer experience?

Video content is not an option for businesses anymore. If you want to succeed in your marketing efforts, video marketing is the answer.

Trying to be everything to everyone is not the best way to grow your business. If you want growth, one of the most tried-and-tested ways is through referral partnerships. 

Referrals from reliable third-party sources are one of the best ways to bring new and repeat leads for the business. But it takes more than just signing a referral agreement to have a successful referral relationship.

The professional services industry relies greatly on referral relationships for new business. It’s the most tried-and-true source of leads. In fact, in a professional services survey by PSM, 70% of new business is from referrals. That’s why it’s extremely important for businesses to get referral relationships right.

Referrals trump all other forms of business leads.

FinTech is a unique industry. It is the merging of the two areas that require the most credibility in any given industry — finance and technology. It requires trust from the customer and a certain degree of transparency from the company.

Increasing business productivity is synonymous with increasing business growth. By unlocking and addressing the challenges affecting your employees, you can improve productivity, lower operational costs, and increase business performance.

As key decision makers in your business, you are expected to make rational, sound decisions every day. However, that is not always the case. You encounter several blind spots, or decision biases, that hinder you from making optimum decisions.