September is a time for new beginnings.

It’s the beginning of a new school year, the start of fall and often, the start of the holiday shopping season.

But as we get into the swing of things, it’s also a great time to think about some things you can do to stay ahead of the game in your business.

To help you pick up the pace, we’ve compiled a list of 6 strategies that can help your brand stay on top in September.

Take a read:

Don’t pester your audience

The beginning of the month means one thing for businesses — pitching to an already tired audience.

If you’re a business owner, keep this in mind:

Your audience isn’t just on social media — they’re also in the middle of their normal day.

Either they’re driving to work, or in the middle of a conversation with their partner or child.

So, it’s important to consider the context in which they’ll be interacting with your content.

At a time when brands are sending out a flurry of promotional messages, be the odd one out. Only send what’s essentially useful.

Your audience will appreciate your restraint, and you’ll also get better engagement from customers who think that they’re not being ignored.

Take advantage of new social networks

You’re probably thinking about onboarding new customers and launching that new campaign on the usual social media channels: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram.

But there are also new and promising social networks worth exploring.

For example, Steemit is a blockchain-based social media platform where you can monetize your content by rewarding your users with crypto.

Similarly, if you’re trying to reach millennials, try TikTok to create engaging visual content.

That being said, you may do a disservice to your business if you refuse to give new platforms a chance.

How do you pick your social network targets?

Picking social network targets based on your audience rather than your brand can help you build a healthy community.

Bring your customers into the spotlight

If you’re a business that’s used to being in the spotlight, it may be difficult to adjust to the fact that customers are now in control.

In the past, customers had to accept whatever you offered them, whether it be an inferior product or poor service.

But now they’re talking back publicly on social media.

And if brands don’t heed their feedback, they’ll quickly move on to another brand.

There’s a reason traditional businesses like restaurants and bars have regulars.

It’s not just because they provide quality products or services, but because they also listen to their customers.

Amp up the momentum 

As a business owner, you know the effort it takes to foster your online community and engage your audience.

You write blogs, create social media posts and schedule emails to grow your business.

But whatever you do, don’t give up!

Letting up on the throttle can be just as dangerous as driving too fast.

However, what you should know is that creating a brand takes time and consistency, so you must put in the effort.

These three tips can help you build momentum: 

• With content, be creative.
• Develop a social media calendar that outlines your goals and the week’s schedule.
• Work with a team that understands your brand and can help you execute your strategy.

“Ambition is the path to success. Persistence is the vehicle you arrive in” — Bill Bradley.

Recommended Reading: 43 unique interview questions for content marketers and recruiters

Quit focusing on your competition

Most business owners spend too much time focusing on their competition.

This is a very common mistake among businesses, and it’s detrimental to your growth.

Instead, spend most of your time on your own business.

When you’re focused on the competition, all your resources get spent keeping up, instead of getting ahead of the game.

You can learn from your competition — what’s working for them, what’s not working — but focus more on yourself because competition is essentially a moving target.

Don’t be afraid to change your strategy

If the strategy has been working for you for some time and the results are diminishing, then it might be the right moment to change things up.

If you try something new and, after a few months, you see that it’s not working; it doesn’t mean that your strategy is terrible or that you should give up.

This is the moment to see why things aren’t working and to change something to get back on track.

Twitter experimented with the idea of Twitter Fleets, but it didn’t bring in the desired results. Twitter removed the feature.

Chop and change. Monitor your metrics and proceed accordingly.

Key Takeaways

• Don’t pester your audience, give them breathing space.
• Use the established social networks, but also explore new and promising social platforms.
• Put your audience front and centre. Let their needs guide you.
• Don’t give up just yet. Persistency is the decisive factor between progress and failure.
• Learn from your competition, but don’t always follow their strategy.
• Learn to shake things up when you aren’t getting the desired results.