When it Comes to Marketing, Innovate or Die

iStock-459908357-047139-edited.jpgIn the past, corporations and established businesses had strongholds on their respective industries, dominating as the most widely-recognized consumer brands. But as times changed and technology evolved, the best brands evolved with them. From 2006 through 2016, only 298 companies have held onto their spots in the Fortune 500. The remaining 202 spots were taken over by spritely, energetic, and progressive startups!

As Hubspot CEO and co-founder Brian Halligan stated during the 2016 Inbound Marketing Conference, “Change is the enemy to big companies… Change is a friend to all of us.” We believe that “us” includes fresh produce brands who are actively seeking new solutions and ideas to meet the needs of modern-day customers. By taking on a “startup culture” with your own marketing, produce brands can cheat death to ensure the longevity of your business. To do this, consider these 7 principles of start-up culture:

Don’t build services for money, but make money to build more services

Investing in yourself is always a good thing. When you benefit from a great accomplishment, do you think “Well, I’m set for life!” or do you think “I can’t wait to accomplish even more!”? The way you answer that question may determine the fate of your company.

It’s not about you, it’s about what you do for customers

Here at DMA Solutions, we’re all about serving the customer – Our clients. Sometimes brands focus so much on pushing their products that they forget about demonstrating how they can help their audiences. Businesses mustn’t forget that people have a multitude of options to choose from. Give them a reason to choose you – Give them a reason to stay with you.

Stop focusing on limits, focus on possibilities.

We have self-driving cars and the seemingly impossible yet inevitable option of living on Mars. George Clooney is married. Donald Trump is going to be our next President. Anything is possible! But seriously – you are only limited by your imagination (and your budget, but hopefully you’ve been working on #1 to reinvest in and grow your business). Start focusing on what you can do and the rest will follow.

The Quick Shall Inherit the Earth

Have you ever seen a new product or service and thought: “Hey! I thought of that a long time ago!”? Well, while I can’t prove that I thought about making clip-in cat-ears well before Josie and the Pussycats became popular – it doesn’t matter. Your ideas won’t matter to the public if you keep them private!

Greatness & comfort rarely co-exist

Complacency is the beginning of failure. “This is how we’ve always done things” is one of those phrases that kills any possibility of progress or prolonged success. As we’ve likely heard many times in our life: Get out of your comfort zone and try something new!

20/20 Vision – Short view + Long View

What works now may not work later. Are you considering short term and long-term goals and effects? Are you asking yourself the right questions? “Is what I’m doing sustainable? Can I make a better version of it? Do I have the right people on my team to execute this properly?”

Disrupt yourself or someone else will

Executives at Blockbuster dismissed Netflix as a passing fad. They even passed up the opportunity to purchase Netflix in 2000. By the time Blockbuster realized that they had to “get with the times” it was too late. They made a failed attempt to duplicate Netflix services and Redbox kiosks. Taxi companies are failing because Uber came up with a way to solve a problem people didn’t know they had.

Look ahead and stay freshly engaged in your business. “Innovate or die” may sound severe but know that at the end of the day people don’t care if you’ve been doing business the same way for 100 years or if you’re a startup — They only care about the value you provide them and how you can make their lives better.