In this day and age, if you still find yourself simply marketing products or services, you are already behind. 

Consumer and buyer behaviours have shifted dramatically, making it more critical than ever to understand how people engage with what you offer. 

Clients today are not just buying products – they are paying for convenience, experience and value. 

It no longer matters whether you are promoting your services through a traditional newspaper advert, a social media post, your website or a half-priced offer. 

If your message does not resonate with your audience, then not even the most generous discount will compel them to act.

We are living through a period of constant digital transformation. 

This requires rapid innovation, reinvention – and above all, relevance. 

To stay afloat, let alone ahead, organisations must prioritise research and development, continuous market scanning and ongoing learning. 

Keeping up with new trends and innovations is no longer optional. 

It has become an essential part of doing business. 

Remaining competitive demands that we sleep with one eye open, staying alert to shifts in behaviour, technology and audience’s needs. 

More importantly, it requires proactive leadership – not just reactive or imitative.

There is also a growing habit among some companies to adopt new platforms and tools without fully testing them from the end-user’s point of view. 

A typical example lies in how companies promote job vacancies. 

Often, the portal on the organisation’s website is poorly designed and not user-friendly. 

Has the responsible team tested it from beginning to end to understand how seamless or cumbersome the process is? 

How long does it take for a potential candidate to apply? 

A complicated or time-consuming system may drive away the most qualified applicants, particularly those who do not have time to spare.

If you are using an external system such as the Namibia Integrated Employment Information System, have you tested it yourself before instructing others to rely on it? 

Is the process efficient and accessible? 

Does it genuinely serve the people you are trying to reach?

Even beyond vacancies, organisations must ask whether the information they publish on their websites or via social media reaches every segment of their target audience. 

It is no longer enough to tick the box that the message was posted. 

What matters is whether it was received, understood and acted upon.

The same applies to product launches. 

Creating a new offering simply to be first on the market is not enough. 

If proper research is not carried out to gauge potential demand and market response, the product or service will likely be short-lived. 

New business opportunities should not exist merely to claim that you were the first to introduce a product or service. 

Without insight, even innovation can fall flat.

Innovation without insight is unsustainable. 

Copying what others are doing, without a clear understanding of why and how it works, is a recipe for mediocrity. 

We must avoid the temptation of adopting a copy-and-paste approach and instead commit to developing well-researched, customer-centric solutions. Strategic relevance – not noise – is what differentiates lasting businesses from those that fade with the trend. In an era where consumers are more informed and selective, true success lies in connecting meaningfully. It is not about how much you shout, but whether your message matters to those who hear it. 

*Victoria Shikongo specialises in integrated marketing and stakeholder engagement. She writes in her personal capacity.