I wonder … could we be in danger of innovating so often in our businesses that customers turn their backs on us because they’re confused?
The other day I was listening to the recording of an excellent talk given by David Meerman Scott at The NAMM Show (Jan 2012)
Contained in the many gems of information was the result of recent research conducted amongst journalists, where he discovered that the most over-used word in PR is ‘Innovate’.
What’s the problem with innovation? Here’s what I believe.
The world seems to be in a permanent state of ‘Fast Forward’, especially when it comes to technology and the internet. As business owners we do our best to keep up with all the changes, and we also seem compelled to keep innovating in regular knee-jerk reactions to those changes.
As an example, take the recent rise in popularity of social network Pinterest. I’ve spent a little time on it, set up a few ‘boards’ and enjoyed looking through the attractive and creative photos. However I decided not to use it for business, even though I know many coaches and consultants are busy posting there. They are indeed being innovative in thinking of ways to use this visual medium.
To be honest, I’ve reached saturation point with the number of social networks I can handle and don’t believe my business really lends itself to pretty pictures.
And what about our poor customers?
If we’re always coming up with new ideas and chasing the latest BSO (Bright Shiny Object), aren’t we doing so at the risk of totally baffling the very people we want to communicate with? Giving them an ever-growing choice of places to find us seems to me to be more about demonstrating how up to date WE are keeping in our marketing, and less about what we can actually do to help THEM.
Of course it’s important to keep informed, but surely it’s more important to be consistent in our message so that people know exactly what we do and who we work with.
In the same way, while we certainly need to develop attractive new products and services, we shouldn’t make them so innovative that they are miles away from our core business and area of expertise.
After all, our clients’ problems and needs don’t innovate. Surely the most important factor when they’re considering who to choose to buy from or hire, is not who innovates the most but who can help them get the best results.
I somehow doubt they’re interested by the fact that they can now connect with us at 30 gazillion places online. They just want to know if we have a solution that will work for them.
Which do you think is more important – Innovation or Consistency – and why?
I’m an avid reader of Louise’s newsletters and coaching bite-size emails – this one in particular really struck a chord with me today.
I confess I’ve not really got to grips with social media yet – it seems very time hungry and there’s so much of it! I’m sure at some point I’ll need to decide how to be involved as it will overtake more traditional email and the ancient art of letter writing will be reserved for special occasions and be as infrequent as telegrams used to be.
I would say my answer posed by Louise is to provide a healthy balance between both innovation and consistency – the desired balance between the two being different for individuals on the receiving end. The challenge then is to meet the expectations and desires of consumers in varying ways; your brand, product and service needs to be flexible to meet the demands of the market place and your consumers. The tricky piece is to understand is what your consumers think is is a healthy balance…
Innovation is natural, we as a species are constantly evolving; it’s motivating and exciting to see and have wonderful new experiences.
Consistency is the rate at which we can handle innovation; everyone is different and will have their own pace at which innovation and consistency can co-exist comfortably or excitingly for them.
For many people change is a really challenging time or event and therefore consistency is probably more important for them, with a slower pace of innovation as this may feel safer yet still motivating. Those who are hungry for change may desire faster and more innovation, with consistency being less important as that may translate as stagnation, boredom and entering the dinosaur-age.
Of course as individuals we can flex our balance between wanting innovation or consistency – sometimes from one minute to the next or one decade to the next. So, the challenge for business owners is to understand their customers needs, desires and aspirations in order to provide the product or service to match. No easy answers there.
Bright Shiny Objects can illuminate a company and brand for a while; and if they don’t really match the customers’ expectations and deliver results then key clients are likely to move away from that company and toward a brand who can meet their needs.
And finally…the mantra of a CEO whom I much admire was oft heard to say to his management team “Winners focus, losers spray”. He was also very good at not being distracted by BSOs.
Hi Nicky – Welcome to my blog and thanks so much for your comprehensive comment! I think you’ve hit the nail on the head with the word ‘balance’. As you say, it is different for each individual and we tread a fine line between comfort & security vs variety and excitement. I love the mantra of your very focused CEO colleague!