After over 84,000 words devoted to business concerns the time has come for me to focus on the fine art side my business

It’s been over 15 years since I began writing this column. Earlier this year I asked the question … is it time to pivot your business?

After over 84,000 words devoted to business concerns the time has come for me to focus on the fine art side my business.

While there have been a great many changes in marketing and communication there are still some very basic business practices that have withstood the test of time. For example the very first column wrote about the need to develop a communications plan. This is still essential in order to have transparency and a clear roadmap to developing a successful business.

In that first year other topics included doing a SWOT analysis, branding, how to write a media release, coming up with the big idea, defining your USP and creating a strategic plan. Social media was beginning to move to the forefront in developing marketing strategies and AI was just beginning to add a new dimension to what the future may hold.

Since then other topics have dealt with how to overcome presentation jitters, cross promotion and what to do when things go wrong. Another column focused on the importance of having a well-designed business card which is still important today even with all the high tech tools that are available.

In the world of marketing change is inevitable and special attention must be paid to trends. In 2015 social media was the hot topic driven by the further development of smartphones, tablets and other wearable technology. Now we’ve gone even further with the further development of AI and other virtual assistants like ChatGPT, Grammarly and Alexa to name just a few.

Several columns dealt with trying to understand consumer behaviour, what motivates them and the need to ensure research is part of your overall strategy. In addition there was also a column focusing on the need to put the different generations into perspective.

When it comes to understanding the human psyche consumers will continue to gravitate to satisfying social needs such as family, friendship, self-esteem and self-actualization or the realization of one’s full potential. These concepts are nothing new as they have been around for generations. Psychologist Abraham Maslow probably defined these needs best when he created his hierarchy of needs to explain human motivation. He divided them into five categories … physiological needs such as food and shelter, safety and security, love and belonging and as mentioned above self-actualization.

Other columns dealt with some tough issues like what to do when things go wrong and how to cope in situations like we all faced during the pandemic. In the first case the objective is to not make excuses but to solve the problem and in the second there is the need to get creative because challenging times can create opportunities as many businesses discovered.

When it comes to grabbing people’s attention, an earlier column reported that the average attention span dropped from 2.5 minutes in 2004 to about 75 seconds in 2012. This decrease in consumer’s ability to stay focused will continue to decrease as further studies have shown this has dropped even further to roughly 47 seconds in 2024.

With this decrease in attention span in mind, you’ve probably come close to wanting to move on to another article. I will therefore sign off by saying that it has been a privilege to be able to give you some food for thought as you deal with the ongoing management of your business. I hope it has been helpful.

So here’s to new adventures and may success lie in your path. Stay strong and confident. After all it is your business.

Joe Smith was a communications consultant and remains an accomplished fine artist. He can be reached via email at [email protected]