Small businesses are doing well despite the current economic situation because they have the ability to adapt quickly to customer needs. Large companies have several processes they must go through before a change in policy can happen. Sometimes, they do not have a pathway for a specific type of change and are stalled till they can figure their way out of the situation.
Your small business has the opportunity to utilize the current climate of supporting local businesses to help achieve your future goals. Every small business must be ready to take an opportunity that comes its way that can help it to achieve its ambitions. That said, it might be time to consider some improvements and minor changes that can aid your business to take full advantage of the current customer focus and interest that it is generating.
Consider hiring a graphic designer to improve your website. Having a user-friendly and easy-to-navigate website can help to draw more business and drive sales higher. If you do not have a storefront at this time, rent a comfortable office space for necessary meetings with stakeholders and potential partners. Begin using the data you collect to drive your marketing efforts. Targeted marketing is much more effective than regular advertising.
Do your research and find out how you can best help your small business to flourish and expand effectively.
Customer Relationship Management
There are several digital innovations and e-commerce software solutions for your business. Customer relationship management software can allow you to run a 24-hour business without needing to work every one of those hours. This type of software can handle inquiries, direct requests, and provide clarification. If you use an online payment system, then your customer relationship management software can work with it to take a customer from inquiry to finished sale, without you having to be there to supervise. This will free up so much of your time to focus on growth strategies for expanding your business.
Data Analytics
If you have a website and a social media presence then you are doing your business a disservice by not utilizing the data that is being collected by both. Look into the number of page visits, find out the amount of time people spend on every page of your website or on your social media page. Analyze which pages or search terms or social media sites are sending the most number of viewers to your website.
Use this information to polish your social media presence and change your marketing efforts to target the specific avenues that attract the most viewers. This can help you to translate more of the interest into actual sales.
Content is Key
Customers want a unique experience and for this, they evaluate the type of content that a business releases. If you can provide good blog posts and interesting social media videos, then there is a much better chance of engagement with your audience. They are also more like to follow the link in your social media postings to your blog and subsequently explore your website.
There are several ways to do it but two of the easiest ways are to either humanize yourself as one with your target demographic or establish yourself as an authority in the industry. Taking the friendly and down-to-earth approach works best for businesses that sell personal care items, snack foods, and gift baskets. Offer free gifts on special occasions such as Mother’s Day and take the time to write personal and heartfelt messages that allow people to sympathize with you as a person. This will allow them to feel connected to you and want to help your business by making purchases.
Businesses that are in more professional areas such as accountants, lawyers, and caterers need to appear knowledgeable. Producing info-graphics, participating in free seminars, and sharing helpful content on your blog are all good ways to show your expertise and reinforce that you are there to solve peoples problems.
A large part of your success as a small business will come from your employees. Your employees’ well-being is the well-being of the company as well. Invest in hiring dedicated people who are eager to prove themselves. Pay them well or give them equity to motivate them to be productive. Developing a culture of efficiency and support in your business now is an investment you are making for the future of your business.
These will be the employees you can trust to keep the company running effectively while you focus on growth and expansion. They will become the ones you rely on to run departments when you grow or manage the new locations when you expand.
