As practitioners in what is known as the “creative industry”, we’re often up against competitors that ostensibly could be more creative, more innovative, and more forward-leaning than what your business could be.
But, we also know that that isn’t necessarily the truth and that gaining pole position in rankings within specific sectors can at times have more to do with understanding the ebbs and flows of marketing within the industry and having a keen perception of timing.
So how do you differentiate your brand within an industry, which by its very definition is in a state of perpetual and dynamic change at the very forefront of creative thought?
That’s going to take some thinking, so let’s get cracking.
“In the modern world of business, it is useless to be a creative, original thinker unless you can also sell what you create.” David Ogilvy.
Therein lies the problem. It’s one thing to position your business as a supplier of creative solutions, and you can have all of the creative genii in the world, but in Australia, the creative industry is worth around $ 90 billion to the national economy. So if you are not in a position to sell what you’re creating, your business is simply not going to grow, and without growth – you don’t have a business.
The precept of this post is to understand how you can expand your businesses sphere of influence in an industry that seems to be stacking itself against you all at the same time.
To understand this quirky and unique field of operation, we have to create something of a circular reference. In other words, you’re trying to be a significant operator in an industry that is constantly shifting the goalposts of its own defining characteristics so that it can serve its mandate of being an industry that is continuously in a state of change, and so forth.
Wrapping your head around that can seem entirely unachievable, but that’s the fun part of it all.
CREATOR, KNOW THYSELF
Even though all of the above is true, the first step to knowing how you will expand your business’s footprint in the industry is by knowing precisely who you are as a brand, what you do and how you can provide solutions to a specific nichè. That’s your keyword here, nichè. When you shut out all of the “noise” that feeds into the anxiety and frenetic energy that is also the source of this industries success, you’ll begin to see a clearer picture of who you are and where you want to lead. It could be time to review (or create) that 5-year plan you’ve been avoiding.
WORK WITH OTHER NON-COMPETING OPERATORS IN YOUR FIELD
Working as independent contractors or freelancers can yield fantastic benefits and rewards, but sometimes there is indeed safety in numbers. If you have the support of non-competing brands or operators and between you, you can form a network of solutions providers, you’ll be well on your way to expanding the spheres of influence you operate in.
ALIGN WITH SPECIALIST AGENCIES
We know that money matters, and if your business is relatively small, you need to think carefully before repurposing resources. But, if you’re serious about your expansion drive, then aligning with a top-quality Brand activation agency can be a real game-changer for you.
Nothing is a foolproof plan, but working back from where you want to end has always been and is still a brilliant way of deconstructing processes and policies.
