One of the most powerful strategies for long-term success is simply getting 1% better each day. In Atomic Habits (Clear, 2018), the author discusses this strategy in detail. He said, “The effects of small habits compound over time. For example, if you can get 1% better each day, you will end up with results that are nearly 37 times better after one year.”
While a 1% change might seem small or even insignificant at first, the power of daily incremental improvements will lead to long-term growth and success in your business.
Improvement doesn't always require making major changes or doing a complete overhaul of your business. It could be something as simple as making a small change to your sales script, writing a better call-to-action (CTA) for your direct mail piece or spending five minutes a day responding to comments on your social media posts.
Instead of overwhelming yourself with large scale changes, you can implement micro-improvements that are easier to implement and more likely to be sustained. Because the stakes are low with small incremental changes, you are more likely to try new ideas, test strategies and learn from the outcomes without disrupting your business.
The key to the 1% strategy is consistency. It only works when applied regularly and with intention. This requires discipline, tracking your results and reflection on what did (or did not) work.
A great place to start implementing this strategy is in your marketing. Marketing is where you can get the most ROI by making small, consistent improvements. Here are four ways you can implement the 1% strategy to improve your marketing.
1. Refine Your Content Strategy
Start by reviewing your content strategy daily. Whether it's a blog post, social media update, your direct mail piece or email campaign, aim to make one small improvement each day. This could be as simple as improving your headlines for better engagement or tweaking a call-to-action (CTA) for higher conversion rates. Over time, these tiny adjustments will accumulate, leading to a stronger content strategy.
2. Review Your Analytics Regularly
Review your analytics daily or at least weekly. Look at what’s working and what’s not. Maybe your email open rates are dropping, or your social media engagement could use a boost. By regularly analyzing your performance, you can make quick changes, test new ideas and adapt quickly. Reviewing your analytics daily is especially important when running paid ads on social media to avoid spending money unnecessarily on ads that are not performing.
3. A/B Test One Element
Take the time to A/B test one element of your marketing campaign. You may consider testing two different subject lines in your emails. Professional email service providers, such as Constant Contact, have functionality that allows you to easily A/B test your subject lines. It could also be something as simple as changing a sentence on your website or a different image on your landing page. These small changes will provide valuable insights into what resonates best with your audience. You may be surprised at how one small change in your content can dramatically increase your engagement and conversion rates.
4. Engage with Your Audience
Spend five minutes each day engaging directly with your audience on social media, in comments or via email. A personal touch can build stronger relationships and help you understand your customers’ needs and preferences better.
By improving your marketing by 1% every day, you’re consistently optimizing your efforts, building stronger connections with your audience, and setting your business up for long-term success.
Here are six ways you can improve other areas of your business by 1% every day?
1. Identify Key Areas for Growth
Start by pinpointing the core areas of your business where even small improvements can have an impact. These might include:
- Customer service
- Sales conversion rates
- Productivity
- Product or service quality
- Financial management
Once you’ve identified these areas, break them down into measurable components so you can track and adjust them gradually.
2. Set Micro-Goals
Instead of setting massive, long-term goals, focus on small, achievable targets each day. For example:
- Improve your email open rate by 1% through better subject lines.
- Rewrite a call-to-action (CTA) in your direct mail piece.
- Optimize one element of your website for a better user experience.
- Add one social media post per day to increase visibility.
These small wins add up. And because they’re easier to accomplish, you’re more likely to stick with them.
3. Review Audience Feedback
Make it a habit to gather regular feedback from customers. For example, sending a short survey can reveal small ways you could improve your product or service. What did a customer like or dislike? What products or services interest them the most? Use this information to make tiny adjustments that will lead to improved audience engagement and increased sales.
4. Invest in Learning
Dedicate time each day to learn something that can benefit your business. This might be:
- Reading one article or watching a short video on a relevant topic
- Listening to 15 minutes of a business podcast
- Attending a quick webinar or networking event
- Learning a new software tool that boosts efficiency
Even a few minutes of learning daily will keep you informed and help you make better decisions in your business.
5. Streamline Processes
Look for one small way to improve or automate part of your workflow each day. Maybe it’s setting up an email template, improving a spreadsheet or cutting out an unnecessary step in your invoicing process. Consider creating a sales funnel to automate the follow-up process and provide consistent value for your audience. Streamlining your processes will make your business leaner, more efficient and more scalable.
6. Celebrate Progress
To stay motivated, recognize and celebrate your daily improvements. Tracking your wins, no matter how small, reinforces the habit of daily growth and helps you see the cumulative impact on your business.
Final Thoughts
Rather than looking for that one big win, focus on improving by 1% each day. Over the course of a year, these daily improvements can lead to exponential growth, not just in your profits, but in your mindset, your productivity and customer satisfaction. Start small and stay consistent.
Implement the 1% strategy in every aspect of your business and let the power of compounding do the rest.
Let me know how I can help.
Best,
Mike Coleman