New year is here and we say goodbye to yet another year. What was the highlights of your 2017? I’m sure that for many of us, the year was a roller coaster especially in the area of business. Running a business can be hard and as the years pass by we struggle to come up with ways to bring our company or brand to the next level.

Entrepreneurs are constantly looking for ways to reinvent themselves and their offerings. That’s because people are always looking for something new. The only constant thing in this world is change.

That’s why this new year, our challenge is to remain “new” and fresh in the minds and hearts of our target audience. How do we do that? Here are some ways- some new and some maybe not so new but still vital- ways to reinvent your business this 2018.

1. Do more of what’s already working

The first thing we must do this year is to do more of what’s already working for us. That might sound quite counter-intuitive to what this article might be about, but consider this. Business owners are always looking for something new to do. What if, for once, we stuck to the things that are still working and keep on doing that?

I’m not saying that we stop pursuing new things, but as the old saying goes “don’t fix what’s not broken.” That marketing campaign, product, organisational structure might be old but if it works it sticks. And maybe one day it will stop working, but for the meantime maximise that sucker.

2. Put value on your social following

Social media is relatively new in the realm of business marketing, but not everyone is valuing it for what it’s really worth. There’s always something new to do on social media. But unless we really value it for what it is, we won’t keep up with the trends.

Newspaper, Television, Billboards all have their place, but our resources should be more heavily focused on social media. Why? Because that’s where the attentions of people are now.

3. Give back to the community

Business has long been about getting, getting, getting. Isn’t it time that we built a business around the idea of giving? If you’re doing this now then great! I’ll bring you back to point number one. But if you still have more to offer to the community then give back.

I don’t think I’ve ever met a generous business that’s struggled. The more you give the more you receive. Give more value to others and they will naturally give more value to you. Maybe you can release a new ebook for free, give a few more discounts and bundles or give a seminar at a crazy discount.

4. Improve your branding

Your brand is evolving faster and faster as the years go by. The struggle is to stay relevant. Is your brand still living in today’s trends? Or have you still stuck in the past? It doesn’t take much to reinvent a brand.

A few tweaks to the logo, a marketing campaign to put out the core message of your brand or a video series telling the story of where you once were and where you are now will really help. Which leads me to the last point.

5. Tell your story some more

I say this all the time- people love stories. The great news is that you have a story to tell so tell that. Show people who you are as a business owner, how you came about with the idea of setting up your business. Share to people the current wins and struggles of your venture. Let them into your storyline.

You can tell your story through a video on a website, your social media accounts, a few about us pages and many other ways. There will be many opportunities to tell your story in 2018 so don’t waste any of them! Keep telling your story. People are eager to listen.