Easter heralds the time for Spring, a time of change, a time when the colors return to our parks and gardens, a time when beauty returns to our world. It is a time for regeneration and the opportunity to make hay for another season. It is also a time of opportunity for businesses. So, with that in mind, here are 4 things that CEOs should think about this Easter.
Make Small Changes in Your Business Operations
When Coke experienced an eleven-year drought in sales, they didn’t make any major changes to their operations. They turned things around with a slight change, putting people’s names on cans and inviting them to share a coke, breaking the drought, making profits again.
You can do something similar, making a small change to your business model for large results. Try putting artwork on your shipping boxes to promote your brand or write personalized thank you notes to your customers or invite them to join your social media page. You never know which small gestures are going to make the big difference.
Malcolm Gladwell’s 3 Principles
In the book ‘The Tipping Point,’ Malcolm Gladwell outlines 3 key principles to assist a business in success. First of all, make sure your product or business idea is ‘sticky,’ that is to say, it possesses an inherent quality that makes it desirable to people.
Secondly, make sure you recruit the right people to advertise it. You don’t necessarily have to hire such people; the most effective form of advertisement is word-of-mouth.
And lastly, keep plugging away patiently until your product or idea ‘tips,’ that is to say it reaches a critical mass beyond which it becomes a must-have for your consumer base.
Storytelling
Storytelling is the oldest occupation in the world. Make sure that your brand has a story to tell, a story that connects with the deepest desires and challenges of your consumer-base.
Good stories contain twists and turns that surprise us. They deal with compelling characters, characters that we can empathize with, who force us to feel and think, helping us grasp concepts in a way that mechanical data never can.
If your brand can be associated with stories of this nature, you are likely to encounter great success.
Giving
Discover ways in which you can give back to your customers. Tap into the spirit of Easter, a holiday that is all about giving, with the Easter bunny sharing all manner of things, things like carrots, baskets and eggs.
Don’t give indiscriminately. Identify your most loyal customers first, those who have helped in promoting your business, who keep coming back to you.
Your gift doesn’t have to be something very big. In fact, it’s often the little things that count. A box of chocolates or discount or a promotional gift along with shipping can go a long way.