As entrepreneurs, we’re drawn to shiny new things which is exciting and liberating. But this more often than not distracts us, throws us off track, and drains our time and money.

We’re constantly bombarded by noise on what platforms to use, what tools to invest in, how much advertising we should be spending on Facebook, videos we need to be pumping out, what assets we have to create…

It’s great we have immediate access to exploit opportunities, but before we get carried away, we should always take a step back and remember that there will always be new, but new does not always mean better.

Take Heinz. Their own research showed that 70% of ketchup and fry lovers had spilled ketchup whilst eating on the go; with 80% claiming they’d considered skipping condiments altogether due to the difficult packaging.

But rather than launching a new product category, Heinz used this universally accepted frustration and made it their mission and campaign to improve the way people consume a product they already love... The Heinz Dipper:

“We don’t know why the fry box wasn’t always designed this way. We just know you can’t have fries without Heinz. So, we fixed it.”

So, before you next get tempted or distracted by the latest ‘big’ thing, take a step back and:

• Revisit your customer journey: identify any frustrations in your customers' experience that cause friction or are accepted as normal – fix it – and make the campaign.

• Keep to your plan: play your own game, not everyone else’s.

• Keep everything relevant to your audience from how you speak to them and the language you use, through to engaging on those platforms where they mostly hang out.

• Get your dashboards set up so your business can alert you as to what activity is working well, and what isn’t.

• Constantly review and learn lessons from all your activity.

Problem. Solved.

BW,

Martin

Martin Norbury

Investor | Business Mentor at Advocate | Author of I don’t work Fridays