This is NOT a Blog article about predictions for new business trends in 2015.
If you’re an avid reader of Business Blogs, I expect you’ll have already skimmed through a whole stack of new articles and posts which make earnest predictions on the new trends you can expect to see in 2015.
Don’t panic. This is NOT yet another one of those crystal-ball articles.
Well, okay, I will be passing on a tiny slice of good news and a tiny slice of bad news about the year ahead for your business.
But I’d mainly like to put forward the suggestion that we shouldn’t be getting too concerned about the shape of the future, as we’ve already seen it.
Here are the points you should really be considering in 2015…
I got thinking about this topic during the Annual New Year’s Bash down at Smokey Joe’s Business Bar.
After several exotic cocktails too many, the evening usually drifts into a chaotic guessing game about what lies in store for us all during the year ahead.
This is the point when all the far-sighted entrepreneurs gather round a table and make their confident predictions about the new marketing trends, new developments, new gadgets, and new strategies that we’ll need to take into account if we don’t want to get left behind in the future.
It’s the highlight of the evening for some of us.
Smokey Joe used to have a Crystal Ball prop which he would place on the table for extra effect, but it got smashed during a clumsy fall from one of the wannabe fortune-tellers back in 1997.
This year, there was the usual mixture of intriguing speculation, thoughtful comment, and very dubious opinion.
The problem with the whole idea is that we really never know who turned out to be right and who turned out to be hopelessly wrong, because nobody can ever remember who predicted what.
However, on this occasion, I heard a particularly memorable pearl of wisdom which I think will stay with me throughout the year.
It came from Smokey Joe himself, and whilst it may sound a little negative at first, I completely understood where he was coming from.
“2015?” he said.
“Well, it’s pretty much going to be the same as last year. And the one before that. And the one before that.
“In fact, it’s going to look very similar to 1982. And every other year before and since.
“You see, the truly important stuff never changes.”
I could sense that the crowd down at the Business Bar were a little disappointed by this, and they quickly moved onto somebody else who was banging on about Smartphone Apps that will control the dreams of your future customers and deliver sponsored messages as they sleep.
However, I could definitely grasp the point that Smokey Joe was trying to make, even though I’m usually the type of person who enjoys keeping completely up to date with new developments and trends.
Here’s the thing;
It’s only ever really the technological tools at our disposal that change and evolve.
And yes, it’s important to keep a close eye on every new opportunity and upgrade that could help you better connect with a bigger audience.
But the fundamental basics of business never change.
If you’re a driven, highly-focused individual with clear goals and a burning passion to succeed, then the year ahead could be looking very promising indeed for your business.
If you’re struggling to find the motivation and energy, or if you haven’t yet worked out exactly where you need to be, or if you’re having problems with time management and productivity, then progress could be disappointingly slow for your business in 2015.
And of course, these fundamental basics don’t just apply in 2015.
They applied in 1982, and they will still apply in 2082.
Smokey Joe’s main concern is that some business owners may get so wrapped up and bogged down in chasing new trends and fads that they will risk forgetting about the genuinely important stuff which should be carefully considered every year.
The Good News and the Bad News
So, fundamental basics aside, what should you specifically be thinking about at great length in 2015?
Well, here’s some Good News on the year ahead;
Thanks to the unstoppable rise of digital technology, it’s never been easier for a business to connect with a huge audience.
But here’s the Bad News;
Thanks to the unstoppable rise of digital technology, it’s never been easier for a business to connect with a huge audience.
Yep, it’s great that your own business can now take advantage of new online opportunities which certainly weren’t available in 1982.
But you have to remember that every other business in the world has been presented with the exact same opportunities.
The challenge now faced by every great Australian business is to make a memorable and lasting impression in an increasingly busy and noisy universe.
Be creative.
Deliver marketing content that gets your messages across in the most compelling way you can imagine.
Don’t rely entirely on digital marketing.
A professionally-produced slice of beautiful printed marketing is going to make a bigger splash in 2015 than all those endless forgettable emails clogging up the inboxes of your potential customers.
And, like Smokey Joe suggests, don’t get so carried away with trying to be hip and trendy that you end up overlooking the timeless common-sense business basics which ring true year in, year out…
Send to Kindle