One of the best-selling self-help books of all time is Stephen Covey's, "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People," which provides empowering lessons to help direct an individual to attain their goals. Now, if people can assume positive habits to achieve a better sense of well-being, why can't businesses do the same? Well, they can. If you personify a business, the transparency of its humanistic nature is very apparent. Once a business has been established, it requires nourishment and attention to thrive. In other words, to achieve success in any business, you need to nurture it by applying effective marketing strategies.

As a business owner it's important that you take the first step in selling your product or service. Waiting around and hoping your potential clients will notice you, will certainly put you behind your competitors. A proactive marketing strategy will create a positive first impression, and brand recognition that will endure in the minds of your customers. A useful way to establish this technique is through social media. As this channel allows an instant connection to potential clients, it also strengthens a business' ability to start a dialogue with the intention of building a relationship. If executed correctly, you may find that your proactive attempts to market your business result in new- and retained clientele.

Spotlight: Virgin America
The relatively "new" United States-based airline has catapulted its customer engagement from beyond its terminals and website to one of its greatest assets: its social media channels. What could an airline post that people would find interesting, not just on a daily basis, but sometimes hourly? How about special deals, aircraft modifications, celebrity endorsements, and most significantly, quick feedback forums. The latter is by far Virgin America's most valuable trait on social media where they tend to reply to customer concerns and praise very quickly with a continued approach of actively reaching out to both existing and non-existing customers for the purpose of acquiring their reaction.
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2. Failure Is Not the End
If your business attempted direct mail promotions or Facebook ads with no ROI, that doesn't necessarily mean that the idea was a complete failure. Some marketing campaigns will work and some will not. This happens not just in the case of small businesses, but to global brands as well. The key is "resilience," and using that failure as a lesson on what to do correctly next time. Ask yourself, your staff and patrons questions such as, "Was the design poorly executed? Was the copy weak? Was the wrong demographic audience targeted? Did we promote on the right media? Did we promote at the right time?" These are just a few questions that will educate your marketing strategy team for a future chance at success. For example, if your typical consumer resembles a single-professional woman, advertising in suburban zip codes might produce the results you're expecting. Thoroughly investigate failed initiatives and attempt future campaigns using this new-found knowledge.

Spotlight: K-Mart
In the early 2000's, K-Mart filed for bankruptcy. Many predicted this downfall marking the end of the discount retailer. With the combination of financial issues and the lack of innovation in comparison to competing brands, such as Target and Wal-Mart, customers began shifting away from the company to new alternatives. In spite of these negative factors, K-Mart regrouped their marketing strategies in 2011 and began revamping their image to include a more contemporary look to its stores and campaigns that targeted humor more than its position as a discount retailer. This shift has resulted in K-Mart's brand re-emergence, and although they still meet with challenges, has given them a second chance at success.

3. Maintain Your Identity
In regards to the above, failure can often lead to doubt, which is a destructive habit for a company. Doubting any component of your company--from the campaign you are running, to the quality of your service or product--will have adverse effects on achieving your goals. Internal consistency is just as important as consistency to the public eye. For that reason, keep your brand on track by remaining loyal to the designs, brand persona (which is the voice of your company), and above all, your mission statement. If your company can't remain loyal to its own brand, how is a client expected to do the same? The temptation of change to acquire a broader audience can actually narrow the validity of the brand. Take careful consideration when attempting to change a logo, or eliminate or add a product or service. Question whether these decisions to reach new clientele will ultimately lead to the loss of current customers. If the answer is "yes," then the risk may be too great.

Spotlight: Chipotle
Chipotle is a brand that has maintained its integrity, style, and flavor throughout its decade of huge success. They contend that they will not follow trends, and for this reason, Chipotle has remained consistent in their marketing, which consumers find reassuring. Customers know what they like, know what they're getting, and know that Chipotle will consistently deliver good Mexican food. Though Chipotle adopts a simple system of promoting a small menu, support of local produce and a healthy perspective, they do re-work these angles in new and charming ways. For example, for its 20th anniversary, Chipotle is celebrating by hosting a treasure hunt-like game and giving away free burritos for a year to 20 contestants. On the last day, the first 20 players who finish the puzzle first will be awarded the Grand Prize of free burritos for 20 years. The design, humor, and appreciation for customer loyalty in this campaign resonates a similar tone with prior ones, which sheds light on Chipotle's ability to master the art of playing the same game, with different rules, and more participants.
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4. Accept Humility
In human relationships, one of the most damaging qualities one can possess is the unwillingness to take responsibility for one's actions and mistakes. The same attitude can be applied to businesses. If a promotion failed to acknowledge a limit on a coupon, or a Yelp reviewer expressed an honest negative experience, a company can best handle the situation by employing personal outreach. Whether this mistake was made in-house or on a public platform, accepting the error will not diminish the brand. After all, people understand that in running a business, errors WILL happen. The idea of defending a false claim to save the face of your brand may seem appealing, but in the end the loss is far greater than initially accepting the fault, since the company not only loses an opportunity to show its humility, it can lead others to mistrust the brand. When the integrity of a company is being questioned, even a brilliant marketing strategy will have a hard time winning back the public's confidence.

Spotlight: JetBlue
Another airline brand that seems to be working its marketing magic for good is JetBlue. From misinformed emails to controversial social media content, JetBlue doesn't deny when they've pulled an "uh-oh" moment. They tend to admit it, accept it (and any backlash), and correct it. There's no sweeping the mistakes under its wings for this brand, which has ultimately strengthened its integrity; a characteristic that is crucial for airlines, where everyone wants to feel confident in the company they trust to keep them safe and protected in the air.

5. Exude Confidence
Last, but not least, is the ability to reflect confidence in one's own products and services. A company that can convey this genuinely and consistently will not only maintain retained clientele, but also catch the attention of new and potential customers as well. A company's positive outlook on its own brand is reassuring for its employees as well. Confident employees are more productive and supportive of a company's success. It's a win-win situation for all.

Spotlight: Fab
Since June of 2011, Fab has taken the design market in the e-commerce realm by the reins and isn't loosening up any time soon. With cheeky copy and a sense of confidence that makes shoppers not only feel good, but embraced, Fab makes a shopping experience as easy as three taps. Fab wraps their bold confidence in a sweet package that's hard to resist--as evidence by their slogan: "Smile. You're Designed To." When you have a great brand and a product like Fab, customers take notice.
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