Growth means different things to different brands.
I talk with business and brand leaders all the time, and growth always shows up as the common theme.
For agency leaders, growth often means increasing margins. That requires creating a high-value, high-profit offer that complements the more commoditization aspects of a modern agency. Sure, you can improve margins through better processes and operations, which is part of the equation for sure, but better ops alone will not turn a sub-15 percent margin into anything close to 50 percent.
For B2B service brands, growth usually means diversifying, productizing, and moving beyond referrals and owner-led sales. In other words, effective marketing. But do not make the mistake so many others make. They jump straight into tactics and hire an agency to fix the problem. Unless that agency has a high value or a unique offer (see above), they exist to help you run tactics. And you do not need tactics yet. You need clarity.
Clarity for B2B comes from digging into your IP, which is the real value you provide, who benefits from it, and the principles you genuinely give a damn about. I mean the mandatory, non-negotiable things you will not compromise on. You feel these in your gut. Then, develop a deep understanding of your customers and what they genuinely give a damn about. The overlap between these two things is where the relationship forms. That is where you make your brand promise and never break it.
Now you have intrinsic and extrinsic clarity about your brand and your customers. Now what? Still hold off on tactics. First, define your brand message, ethos, and the stories you want to tell, because people repeat the stories they hear.
Then consider tactics. But do not skip the marketing plan. Without a plan, you will end up with arts and crafts, which means a bunch of activity without progress. Your plan must align with your business goals and determine which tactics, technologies, and talent you need to build the marketing and operational systems that power and scale your growth.
Last point. Do not treat clarity work, also known as brand strategy, as a one-time project. Brand strategy serves you best as an ongoing leadership discipline. Yes, the initial deep dive lays the foundation, but that foundation is built for experimentation. You will not get it perfect on day one, but you will get it close. The risk of treating it as a project is that you get it wrong, but don’t act immediately, which creates a downward spiral. With a plan, you will make progress. And when growth is the goal, progress toward your aspirations is the metric that matters most.
Feed Your Mind
What I’m Listening To:
I got talking with a couple of colleagues last week about my most-listened-to albums. These aren’t necessarily my favorite albums, but over the past ten years or so, I have spun these bad boys the most. Here are mine:
Jim James – Regions of Light and Sound of God
Atlas Sound – Logos
De La Soul – 3 Feet High and Rising (the digital version is not the same as the album)
Fleetwood Mac – Greatest Hits
What are yours?
What I’m Reading: The Graveyard Book
I finished The Graveyard Book last week. It was a fantastic story, and I can’t recommend it enough. Currently, I’m in the rare position of not having another booked. I have stacks of unread books everywhere, but nothing is tickling my fancy yet. We’ll see what pops up next. This time of year, I usually gravitate to Graphic Novels. The Walking Dead, Swamp Thing, Hellboy, Sin City, etc., are all on my shelf and have been read a few times. But I’m looking for something new.
If you have any recommendations, let me know!
